SEVAN TO TURN INTO A "GOLDEN" LAKE?
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[05:02 pm] 11 December, 2008
Lake Sevan is in danger again. The gold-extracting "GeoProMining"
company- owner of the Ararat Gold Extraction Company and the Sotk
gold mine exploitation concession- plans on moving the gold production
unit from Ararat to Sotk.
According to ecologists, the cyanide technologies of gold extraction
and joining of chemical substances will increase the risks for the
lake. Besides that, the wastes such as poisonous metals and elements
that gather in the granary will remain that way for millions of years.
Ecologists consider that as a violation of the law and predict that
in a couple of years it will be impossible to prevent the outflow of
dust that spreads to Lake Sevan through scraps and winds.
"Sevan is in danger because the interests of gold extractors are high,"
said ecologists today during a round-table discussion on "Risks for
Sevan from gold mining" in the UN Office of Armenia.
In the beginning of the discussion, participants watched a film
entitled "Golden mine for Sevan" about the consequences of a
transaction of gold mines in Ararat and Vardenis.
Head of the National Committee of the UN Environmental Protection
Program, president of the "For Stable Development" Association Karine
Danielyan said that the issue must be perceived in the context of
development of the country.
"It is time to think about what course we are going to take,"
said Danielyan. Professor of the Armenian-Russian University Gagik
Sukhudyan said that the pollution of Sevan’s basin is a violation of
the law and the issue must be raised in the European Court.
"I have come to the conclusion that we must allocate peacekeeping
forces between our administration and Mother Nature," said Sukhudyan.
Let us recall that former owner of the Indian gold-extracting factory
"Vedanta Resources" had the desire to move the production unit from
Ararat to Sotk back in 2005. The Armenian administration denied the
proposal, but temporarily. Only in May this year did it become clear
that the new owner of the factory-"GeoProMining"-has restarted the
work of the factory and is getting ready to draft a complete plan
with an evaluation of the influence on the environment.
Ecologists have expressed concerns to the RA Ministry of Environmental
Protection, but it wasn’t until recently that the Minister heard
the government’s decision to not back the project during an outgoing
session in Sevan.
"We know that the owners of that company are lobbying the project
at high levels and according to our data, there are people who are
trying to green light that project. Head of the government’s natural
resources management agency Artashes Zeroyan was supposed to speak
at the discussion, but he didn’t show up. This raises worries that
perhaps there is some pressure," said head of the "Ecolur" information
NGO Inga Zarafyan.