EcoLur
Public Environmental Alliance, an alliance of 50 NGOs, has addressed a letter to Armenian PM Tigran Sargsyan, which particularly says, “On 20.11.2012 the Public Environmental Alliance has filed a proposal to Nature Protection Ministry, the National Assembly Standing Committee on Agriculture and Environment to set up a working group in regard with the activities of “MegoGold” LLC in Meliq Village. We would like to ask you to assign Nature Protection Ministry, Health Ministry and Ministry of Emergency States, in the frames of their terms of reference, to conduct examination of the situation and to present the findings to the public…At present “MegoGold” Company intends to construct the third tailing dump in Meliq Village. We are asking to stop the activities of the company till the assessment of the situation on the spot.” The proposal filed to Nature Protection Ministry dated on 20.11.2012 is attached to the letter, “…According to the project (construction of a tailing dump), Meliq Village is located in the zone of nine-point seismic risks.” “MegoGold” Company intends to construct a new tailing dump in the territory of 7 ha…The company is the subsidiary of “Global Gold” Company and has been developing Tukhmanum gold mine since 2006. Ore dressing is conducted directly in the territory of Meliq Village. The village itself is in a hard situation. Numerous breakdowns of operating tailing dumps has led to the default with the water pipe of the drinking water in the village, because drinking and irrigation waters get mixed…The dust blown off the tailing dump, accumulates on the ground, which villagers cultivate and contaminate them with heavy metals. All this lead to decrease in crop productivity and caused huge damage, which hasn’t been studied and assessed. According to the villagers, they incur material and moral damage from the development of the mine and the tailing dump. Villagers’ health has been deteriorated, birth rate had reduces, cancer diseases have increased. The villagers have filed complaints to the state bodies, but to no avail,” the letter says.
January 18, 2013 at 12:37