NO DRILLING OPERATIONS ON LAKE SEVAN – ENVIRONMENTALISTS

16:32 * 25.03.15

No one will allow the Blackstairs Energy Armenia LLC, which is carrying
out prospecting works in Lake Sevan, to conduct drilling operations
there even if oil reserves equal to Kuwait’s are discovered there,
Vardan Vardanyan of Armenia’s Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources
stated at a discussion on “Gas and oil prospecting on Lake Sevan:
environmental risks” on Wednesday.

However, environmentalists are not so optimistic. One of them Karine
Danielyan said that neither government bodies nor the Law on Lake
Sevan inspires any hopes. She does not believe Blackstairs Energy
Armenia is spending so much money “just for science.”

Vigen Avetisyan of Armenia’s Ministry of Nature Protection is more
cautious about prospects for drilling operations. According to him,
the company has not “so far” been allowed to conduct drilling operation
on Lake Sevan.

According to Ms Danielyan, while authorities view the process as a
way to development, the public believes Armenia’s nature is being
destroyed.

“This affects other areas – agriculture, tourism and population’s
health,” she said.

Environmentalist Silva Adamyan shares Ms Danielyan’s opinion.

“It is a company representative who speaks of planned drilling
operations. At a meeting with environmentalists he was speaking,
abstracting from Armenia, as if he had been from another planet. As
he were not Armenian kept on saying ‘you, you’,” Ms Adamyan said.

Expert in hydroecology Evelina Ghukasyan said:

“We have an impression that they are not sure the prospecting will
not end in drilling operations.”

She believes the prospecting work should not have been allowed.

Ms Ghukasyan proposes that the relevant ministries be more consistent
in protecting Armenia’s nature.

A liter of oil may be equal to 40,000 liters of water.

“Lake Sevan is of strategic importance, and such organizations must
not be allowed to even come close to it,” she said.