EcoLur
Kartchevan community in Syunik Region, which is the continuation of Agarak Town, bears the immediate effect of Agarak Copper and Molybdenum Combine. The Kartchevan River flowing through the village has turned into a wastepipe. The Kartchevan River is classified as class 5 because of high concentration of molybdenum it has. The whole riverbed and banks are covered with toxic tails, out of which stinks spreads, while the wind blows off toxic dust off the tails in arid seasons. People are deprived of any opportunity to use the river. They have to bring irrigation water from higher places, nevertheless, this water is not sufficient. Despite the disastrous environmental situation, there are no social projects implemented to mitigate health risks.
“I would suggest the combine leaders to offers workers in especially hazardous workshops rest in a recreational area, to have medical checkup or to have a holiday,” Kartchevan resident told EcoLur.
Agarak combine should expand its tail area by taking new land areas. “We are against to the construction of a new tailing dump, as it will be additional troubles for the community. It’s much better to expand the tailing dump and to use it for 16 years. It’s a much easier solution, if everything is done according to the project,” Kartchevan residents said. Given their social conditions they are interested in the operation of Agarak Combine, but they are not pleased with the working conditions at the combine. “They have reduced the salaries by 20-30%. They explained it with the decrease of metal prices in the international market. In some months my husband received only 90-100,000 AMD, which is too little. My monthly loan installments are more than my husband’s salary. I really wonder how I can exist: 90,000-100,000 AMD is not sufficient, especially in our region, which is one of the most remote areas. It’s double and triple as expensive here as elsewhere,” Kartchevan resident said.
The strike of the workers continued for two days. The combine administration promised to recover the docked salaries. “The explosions at Agarak Copper and Molybdenum Mine cause damage to the houses of the residents, but they don’t get any compensation for it. If you look round the houses in the village, the walls of all houses are cracked, as these explosions really affect. As there was Insurance Center in Soviet years, they visited and assessed everything, but now nothing like that exists,” Kartchevan resident said. According to the resident, they don’t get any aid from the combine, but if they apply for aid, they are not rejected and get some help.
June 14, 2016 at 17:32