METS AYRUM COMMUNITY RESIDENTS’ LETTER ADDRESSED TO ALL COMPETENT BODIES
13:47 March 27, 2015
EcoLur
195 residents of Mets Ayrum Community have addressed an open letter
to Armenian PM Hovik Abrahamyan, all MPs of the National Assembly,
Standing Committee on Agriculture and Environment of the National
assembly, RA Public Council, OSCE Ambassador to Yerevan Andrey Sorokin,
Nature Protection Minister Aramayis Grigoryan, Mets Ayrum Aldermen’s
Council Members in Lori Region, Armenia. The letter says, “We would
like to inform you that on 8 December 2014 the interdepartmental
committee on reconciliation of land use temporary schemes issued
a positive opinion to changing 40 ha of agricultural land areas
into industrial ones from the land areas of Tchotchkan and Mets
Ayrum communities in Lori Region. This land area will be provided
to “Akhtala ODP” CJSC for the construction of a new tailing dump,
afterwards the Territorial Administration Ministry proposed the heads
of Tchotchkan and Mets Ayrum communities and Aldermen’s Councils to
change the status of land areas to provide it to “Akhtala ODP” CJSC.
Mets Ayrum urgently convened a meeting of Aldermen’s Council, but
no decision was reached. Two public discussions were organized at
the request of some residents and Aldermen’s Council members, where
the residents opposed to the construction of a new tailing dump and
didn’t give their agreement, so there was need for further discussions.
Nevertheless, on 26 February 2015 the Aldermen’s Council of Mets
Ayrum without taking into consideration the opinions of the community
residents and without allowing them to express their opinions, reached
a decision on changing the status of 12 ha agricultural land areas
in Mets Ayrum Community, Lori Region.
Taking into consideration that in the past and now the tailing dumps
operating in Akhtala and Mets Ayrum have been operated without
adhering to elementary environmental and safety standards, posed
danger to community residents, where pet animals got drowned, tail
waters flow and get mixed with the waters of the Debed River, its
water irrigate our orchards. The presence of the tailing dump in the
community caused concerns of the community resident, deteriorated the
health of the residents, which the community residents mentioned in
the mass media, nevertheless, this problem was not paid attention to.
The community doesn’t get any compensation for the accumulation of
wastes in its area to solve health and environmental problems.
WE ARE PPLYING TO AFOREMENTIONED STATE OFFICIALS, BODIES AND
STRUCTURES|
WE, RESIDENTS OF METS AYRUM COMMUNITY, OPPOSE TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF
NEW TAILING DUMP and are demanding to stop this process unless:
1. Akhtala ODP solves the problems of reclaiming its old tailing
dumps and compliance with safety standards,
2. Mets Ayrum community is proposed ways to compensate health and
environmental problems of legislative mechanisms.
WE, RESIDENTS OF METS AYRUM COMMUNITY, ARE DEMANDING from Mets Ayrum
local government bodies, members of Aldermen’s Council to respect
the opinions of the community residents, participatory governance
principles and to immediately annul resolution N 7- A on changing
the status of land areas, which was adopted without taking into
consideration the opinions of the resident, in a hastily manner and
to return out pastures, for which we undersign.”
From: A. Papazian