ECOLOGISTS AND DENO GOLD MINING CROSS SWORDS AGAIN
ArmInfo
2010-01-18 20:53:00
ArmInfo. "Environmental-Social Profile for Deno Gold Mining Company’s
Operation in Armenia" published article was presented in Yerevan on
Jan 18.
Head of the EcoLur NGO Inga Zarafyan pointed out that the situation
in the Syunik community has been hard since 2006. "We qualify it as
disastrous as there are tails so far, which are left open by the
company. The river Norashenik flows near the tails, and its banks
are fortified with those tails",- she said. According to her, the
contamination of the territory with heavy metals is of big danger
as the given community supplies greenery and dairy to the whole town
of Kapan.
Zarafyan stressed that specialists have repeatedly pointed out the
degree of danger of these food products due to the big content of toxic
substances in them. She also recalled that as a result of emergency
releases in 2006-2007, land and garden plots were contaminated in
the village of Syunik, the cattle died, children displayed strong
allergic reactions to the extent that their skin sloughed off their
hands. Shahumyan gold-polymetallic deposit being developed by DGM was
qualified as a highly dangerous zone: "the residents’ houses break
down of explosions. The developers have not practically left the upper
layer above the drifts despite to the exploitation rules, and the
land is caving in and making craters",- Zarafyan stressed. She added
that the main waste flow was closed after construction of Geghanush
tailing dump on the common lands on Geghanush community. However,
there is practically no buffer zone here, and those having land
plots near the tailing dump have been deprived of the opportunity
to receive incomes. Besides 19 ha private plots, the hazel-wood
growing on the slopes of the gorge filled with waste ceased bearing
fruit. "We suggest that the government of the republic should set
up a commission on monitoring the compliance of DGM activity with
environmental standards",- said Zarafyan.
The head of the Management and PR Department of Deno Gold Mining
and engineer of the company’s Ecological Department Hasmik Mkrtumyan
disagreed with the ecologists.
They were skeptical of the information that the contamination of
gardens in Syunik in 2006-2007 caused allergy among local children as
well as the reports that the tailing dump near the Geghanush community
is a source of harmful dust. They said that the dump could not damage
the hazel harvest in Geghanush.
The chairman of the Union of Greens of Armenia Hakop Sanasaryan
retorted that the damage caused to human health and environment by
heavy metals in tailing dumps has long been proved by international
experts. He said that in the Geghanush community he personally saw
culves and lambs dying a few days after birth or having serious health
problems. If this situation continues, the community may disappear
in the next few years. Sanasaryan said that in Armenia engineering
ecology is politicized. If the authorities go on neglecting this
situation, certain companies will continue gaining super profits by
damaging the environment.
To note, the "Environmental-Social Profile for Deno G®ld Mining
Company"s Operation in Armenia" article covers the outcomes of
the public informational monitoring of Deno G®ld Mining Company"s
operation conducted by "EcoLur" Informational NGO together with
CEE Bank Watch International Non-Governmental Organization and "For
Ensuring Ecological Safety and Developing Democracy" and "Khoustoup"
NGOs. The documentary bases for this article are as follows:
correspondence among NGOs, the Ministry of Nature Protection of RA,
Territorial State Environmental Inspection in Syunik, the Ministry
of Emergency State of RA, the Armenian Human Rights Defender, and the
results and recommendations submitted by "GEORISK" Scientific- Expert
Company, which worked for Deno G®ld Mining in Kapan, extracts from
the reports drawn up by the Center of Noospherical Studies of NAS RA
about soil pollution, food, water resources in Kapan and its adjacent
places, interviews with the locals, the results of the discussions
of Deno G®ld Mining Company’s operation at the working meeting on
environmental and social responsibility held by the European Bank for
Reconstruction and Development in London. The article is published by
"EcoLur" Informational NGO with the support of Global Greengrants Fund.