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Shamlugh is part of Akhtala enlarged community. As a beneficiary community of Akhtala OPC, it receives compensation every month. “The concentration of heavy metals is high in the lands and in human organisms,” Oleg Dulgaryan, President of Center for Community Consolidation and Support NGO, says.
During the operations of "Akhtala OPC " CJSC, 3 tailing dumps "Nazik", "Pahesti Dzor" (reserve) and "Nahatak" have been established in Akhtala Community.
Inga Zarafyan, President of "EcoLur" Informational NGO, adds that the companies should take safety measures in parallel with the mining industry, carry out reclamation, and restore the violated lands. However, no company in Armenia does that, as there is no relevant legislation to hold companies accountable.
They are residential houses in the immediate vicinity of "Nahatak" tailing dump, where the inhabitants are exposed to the harmful pollution of the tailing dump on a daily basis.
Inga Zarafyan adds that even a very small amount of lead leads to serious diseases, it does not manifest itself at once, but the people living here are constantly exposed to the harmful effects of tails, drink the water here, use the fruit grown on this land.
In 2018-2021 "Center for Community Consolidation and Support " NGO in cooperation with "EcoLur" Informational NGO, "Armenian Women for Health and Healthy Environment" NGO and Czech "Arnika" NGO dealing with chemical safety issues, researches were carried out to find out the presence of heavy metals in the soil, in fruits and vegetables and in the human body in Mets Ayrum and Akhtala. It turned out that the pollution with copper, zinc, lead and arsenic is high both in the sediments of the Debed River and in the soil. In some samples the concentration limit exceeds the maximum permissible concentration dozen times.
The highest rates were recorded among children living near the Martyrs' Tail.
Based on these studies, 70 residents of the village of Tchotchkan in Mets Ayrum have applied to the court for compensation for the damage caused to their health.
"There is a specific demand here, the first is that the tailing dump should be reclaimed, the second is that the residents here should be compensated for the social and health damage they have suffered," Oleg Dulgaryan, President of Center of Community Consolidation and Support NGO, said.
Environmental lawyer Nazeli Vardanyan describes the fact that the tailing dumps are located in the area of the settlement as a violation of the law.
RA Environment Ministry gave a positive expert opinion on the environmental impact assessment report of "Nahatak" tailing dump reclamation works.
The examination issued a positive conclusion on the condition of mandatory fulfillment of a number of expert requirements, which, however, do not include what measures will be taken in case of pollution of the Debed River with industrial wastewater or how the existing pollution will be eliminated. There is no reference to the compensation of the damage caused to the health of the population.
February 15, 2022 at 11:21