EcoLur
The State Environmental Impact Expertise of the Ministry of Nature Protection of RA gave a negative conclusion on the project of a plant for crushing and sorting dunite-peridotite ore from Shorzha mine. This project was submitted by “Gegamet Plus” Company. This is what the letter of the Nature Protection Ministry numbered 5/32/51391-10 dated on 22 July 2010 says in reply to EcoLur’s enquiry. The letter also says the civil works were stopped.
As it turned out during our working expedition to Shorzha on 26 July, as a matter of fact, main civil works were stopped as the plant is virtually constructed in full (see the photo report).
Meeting with Shorzha villagers who supply main labour force to “Gegamet Plus” we found out nearly 30 people only from Shorzha are employed at the plant.
“We had hearings held twice. Their specialists were speaking very convincingly. We asked about dust, what is its impact on Sevan. They explained us there will be no dust and harm to Sevan. But we were mainly interested in working places and they promised us working places will be no less than 300. We have many young people,” Jemma Melkoumyan said. Under her, even now not only unskilled laborers are employed at the plant: “Our people were trained, and now they are employed as operators and laboratory assistants.”
Unfortunately, Nature Protection Ministry’s letter says nothing about measures taken by the State Environmental Inspection in regard with illegal construction. This fact makes us think Nature Protection Ministry cannot sort out with the situation in Shorzha; moreover, Deputy of National Assembly of Armenia Khachik Manoukyan, Unibank management and other influential people are standing behind “Gegamet Plus” Company. Let’s only hope that this ore processing plant won’t get any documentation substantiation for its further operation at least with a reference to Article 10 of RA Law “On Lake Sevan” that directly bans any activities in Sevan basin. Let’s hope the ministry will remember about its obligations and at last will impose sanctions on people for whom one cannot lay down the law.
August 03, 2010