Ice threatens people, and salt - trees
Pedestrians in Yerevan do not know which side to look at: above their heads or under their feet.
The uncleared snow has turned the city's sidewalks and squares into a real skating-rink, with huge icicles hanging from roofs of buildings. More people are being taken to hospital with fractures and injuries.
Head of the Emergency Service CJSC Taguhi Stepanyan says they have received 89 calls in the last ten days, 75 of them being cases of fractures and sprains.
"The ice is awful, but we have got used to overcoming difficulties. It is especially difficult to walk during the morning hours," said citizen Narine Abgaryan.
"Snow must be cleared off immediately so that people can move with ease. It is especially difficult for elderly people to walk in ice-covered streets," said Aram Grigoryan.
Citizens say the picture is more deplorable in the city outskirts where the sidewalks are covered with a thick layer of snow. They are equally concerned about the icicles hanging from roofs.
"Go forbid icicles fall on someone's head! I am trying to stay away from buildings but as the sidewalks have been narrowed I have no other option," said Lida Kyureghyan.
Incidentally, the Emergency Service has recorded a case when an icicle fell on a pedestrian's head.
Yerevan Municipality periodically reports that the capital is being cleared off snow and ice but people witness the opposite picture. In the meantime, environmentalists call attention to the fact that the salt and other chemicals scattered on the streets cause irreparable damage to the green areas of the city, tires of vehicles and trunks of trees.
