EcoLur
"Basalt 7" LLC has applied for the second time to RA Nature Protection Ministry to receive a permit to develop Angeghakot basalt mine. The fact is that on 23 October 2018 the Ministry issued a negative opinion to the project submitted by the company. According to this opinion, the land forms to be affected by the planned activities are described as plough lands while the cadastre data show there are forest lands in the territory of the planned activities.
After the rejection, "Basalt 7" LLC has submitted a second project for the environmental impact assessment. According to this project, "Basalt 7" LLC will develop a basalt mine located in the administrative area of Angeghakot residential area, Sisian Community, in an opencast manner for 50 years, where 247612.0 m3 of basalt will be mined – annually 4952.0 m3. The mining risks are as follows: elimination of vegetation by the open mine, external tails and infrastructures, alterations in the living conditions of the animals due to mining, pollution of atmospheric air with dust emissions. According to the project, there are no red-listed species and specifically protected areas of nature in the mine area.
In his interview with EcoLur, Chief Specialist of Urban Development and Economics Department in Sisian Municipality Vazgen Ayvazyan said that the participants of the public hearings on the project held on 17 January didn’t oppose to mining.
Angeghakot Community Administrative Head Armenak Markosyan noted that two more citizens who are direct stakeholders as their plough lands are located just next to the mine have been notified about the hearings. “The plough land of one of them is located on the edge of the mine, while the other is a little bit further but they have arranged that they will compensate the damage to be caused when transporting stone across his plough lands. If these people haven’t attended the public hearings, it means that’s not important for them.” Markosyan said.January 25, 2019 at 15:34