The Azerbaijani blockade of Artsakh, which is in its 40th day, is forcing Artsakh authorities to implement more rolling blackouts and introduce coupons as a way of rationing food to mitigate the depletion of supplies as the humanitarian crisis worsens.
Since last week, the power line supplying electricity to Artsakh from Armenia has been damaged, but Azerbaijan is not allowing workers to repair the units, since Azerbaijanis posing as environmental activists continue to block the area where the towers are located.
“The blockade has changed the economy and the state’s priorities,” said Artsakh’s State Minister Ruben Vardanyan, who is also leading the country’s emergency response to the situation. “At the same time, the blockade and the resulting crisis is forcing us to ration available resources, to identify all problems in order to introduce more effective management models.”
It was announced that instead of two-hour rolling blackouts, a four-hour schedule will be implemented in an effort to provide residents with the minimum electricity supplies, given the ongoing inability to repair the power grid.
Vardanyan and his team also unveiled a coupon system that will be implemented in 200 stores in Stepanakert and 400 stores elsewhere around Artsakh and will apply to a number of essential products.
The red, blue, orange, green and yellow coupons will be distributed beginning on Tuesday and will become usable on Friday. The coupons can be used to buy cooking oil and one kilogram of rice, pasta, grains and sugar.
Resident of Stepanakert can retrieve the coupons from schools and university campuses, while the administrative offices will distribute them in each village.
