VILLAGERS ADDRESS A LETTER TO ARMENIAN PRIME MINISTER OVER A TAILING DUMP OF AKHTALA MINING PLANT

by Karina Manukyan

Friday, March 27, 16:11

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.