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S.O.S. Ayrum Campaign Getting New Strength

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  • S.O.S. Ayrum Campaign Getting New Strength

    S.O.S. AYRUM CAMPAIGN GETTING NEW STRENGTH

    15:58 March 30, 2015

    EcoLur

    "Akhtala Ore Dressing Combine" CJSC intends to construct a new tailing
    dump in the area of Tchotchkan and Mets Ayrum communities in Lori
    Region using 40 ha of agricultural land areas in the communities. It
    will be the second tailing dump for these communities, which will be
    closer to the transboundary Debed River and Armenia-Georgia interstate
    road. "To what extent it's admissible to construct a tailing dump
    in such active seismic zone in the viewpoint of national security,
    which can flow at any time and block the Debed riverbed in the gorge
    of the Debed River, the railwat and the road running to Georgia,"
    said Seyran Minasyan, expert in environmental impact monitoring,
    at the press conference held at EcoLur Press Club on 27 March.

    Around 200 Mets Ayrum residents oppose to the construction of this
    tailing dump, which have declared about launching SOS Ayrum campaign.

    The campaign is getting stronger joined by EcoLur, journalists and
    public figures.

    Ayrum Resident Demanding to Suspend New Tailing Dump Construction
    Project

    Naira Bulghadaryan, www.azatutyun.am

    The authors of the letter insist that the Aldermen's Council have
    approved the project without taking their opinion into consideration.

    Around 70% of the village population has put their signatures under
    the open letter, as a matter of fact, opposing to the local government.

    Out of 4 members of the Aldermen's Council only Oleg Durgaryan
    supports the villagers, "We, the residents of Mets Ayrum, oppose to the
    construction of a new tailing dump in our land areas and demand to stop
    this process, unless Akhtala Ore Dressing Combine solves the reclaiming
    and compliance with safety standards of the old tailing dumps."

    Expert Group member Seyran Minasyan is angry with the irresponsible
    approach of the government and mining company, "We already don't
    have Akhtala River, we have an Akhtala tail pipeline. They haven't
    reclaimed tails and dumps anywhere. Now they are filling the tailing
    dump in Nahatak gorge, which already has the same height as the gorge,
    while winds and storms spread the tails. They mine copper, as it was
    mined in the Bronze Age. It's impermissible, it's 21st century."

    In reply to these concerns, Akhtala Ore Dressing Combine Executive
    Director Martik Hakobyan informed the "Azatutyun" that they have
    large programs - they plan to neutralize the current tailing dump
    and to construct a new one with latest technologies.

    "People in Akhtaka starve, while we help 700 people to work and to
    get salary: if the average salary in 2010 was 130,000, now the average
    salary is 250,000," he said.

    Most Peach Harvest in Mets Ayrum Community Contains Lead Exceeding
    MPC 2-4 Times

    Arthur Hovhannisyan, Nyut.am

    "Since 2013 we have been studying peach harvest in Mets Aryum
    community, soil, water and leaves, and I can clearly say that the
    concentration of lead (heavy metal known as a very toxic substance) has
    exceeded in most peach samples, 60-70%, 2-4 times sanitary and health
    standard, which is directly the impact of the tailing dump of Akhtala
    Ore Dressing Combine located in Nahatak Gorge," Seyran Minasyan said.

    For comparison we took the samples of peach from road sections in
    Yerevan, Aramus, Akhtarak and Zovuni and analyzed them, as we thought
    that lead concentration in dust may be high and we could have the
    same picture. But no, our studies clearly show it's definitely the
    result of the tailing dump."

    Villagers address a letter to Armenian Prime Minister over a tailing
    dump of Akhtala Mining Plant

    Karina Manukyan, ArmInfo

    195 residents of Mets Ayrum rural community have addressed a letter
    to Armenian Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan over the situation around
    the tailing dump of the Akhtala Mining Plant. The letter has also
    been sent to all parliamentary groups of Armenia, the OSCE Office
    in Yerevan, Armenian Ministry of Nature Protection and the Standing
    Parliamentary Commission for Agriculture and Environment.

    The letter expresses concerns about the Government's decision to
    change the category of farming lands into industrial lands in the
    light of construction of a new tailing dump of the Akhtala Mining
    Plant on an area of 40 hectares. The letter stresses that despite
    the discontent of the Mets Ayrum residents, on March 26, 2015, the
    administration of Mets Ayrum made a positive decision on that issue.

    Meanwhile, the exploitation conditions of the tailing dumps in Akhtala
    and Mets Ayrum fail to meet the main environmental and safety standards
    and endanger the health of the local population.

    In addition, the rural residents have repeatedly complained of their
    deteriorating health due to the impact of the Nahatak tailing dump.

    The authors of the letter specify that the community people receive no
    compensation for the damage inflicted to their health and environment.

    In this light, the residents of Mets Ayrum come out against
    construction of the new tailing dump and urge the Akhtala Mining Plant
    to solve the problems related to re-cultivation and safety norms at
    the old tailing dumps. In addition, the residents demand declaring
    the Feb 26, 2015 decision null and void.

    On March 24 and 25, a group of independent experts from Yerevan
    monitored the situation in the areas adjacent to the Akhtala Mining
    Plant. At a press conference on March 27, expert Seyran Minasyan said
    that the group revealed tails in Alaverdi, Akhtala and Mets Ayrum. The
    current management of the Akhtala Mining Plant takes no measures to
    clean the specified areas from the tails.

    The operating Nahatak tailing dump of the Mining Plant is also
    criticized. The surveys conducted since 2013 have revealed that the
    lead content in the 60-70% of peaches in Mets Ayrum is 2-4-fold higher
    than the maximum admissible limit.

    To note, in summer 2014 the former director general of the Zangezur
    Copper Molybdenum Combine Maxim Hakobyan became the new owner of the
    Akhtala Mining Plant. The plant had previously belonged to the Metal
    Prince Ltd.

    http://ecolur.org/en/news/mining/sos-ayrum-campaign-getting-new-strength/7168/
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVJM8lUr0uU

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