; "Meghrasar Mine In Territory of \"Arevik\" National Park?")
; "Meghrasar Mine In Territory of \"Arevik\" National Park?")
EcoLur
On 21 August the public hearings of Meghrasar open pit mining submitted by “AT-Metals” was held at Tashtoun Rural Municipality, Syunik Region. “The Meghri River is endangered, the agriculture is dying down.” Hakob Sanasaryan said and added that dispersed uranium is available in the whole territory.
Pan-Armenian Environmental Front Member Levon Galstyan mentioned that several special protected areas are located in adjacent territories, one of which is “Arevik” National Park.
“Can you substantiate that the area of the mine and all other infrastructures are not located in the territory of “Arevik” National Park and why doesn’t the project sat that the adjacent areas are special protected areas and have corridors for animals?” Levon Galstyan asked.
“You can google and see that our territories are not included in the park territory,” Hovik Nikoghosyan replied. Levon Galstyan mentioned that he searched and saw that the mine area is included in the territory of “Arevik” National Park. “It’s not true,” the project author insisted.
“Whether one expedition is sufficient to understand whether or not there are red-listed species and whether the area doesn’t have migration corridors?” environmentalist Galstyan asked.
H. Nikoghosyan replied, “Our area is so small that it doesn’t have any migration corridors.” Under the projector, the mine won’t have any tailing dump. “We will keep the tails, collect them and then reprocess. The enterprise wants to use its tails later….we are heading to complex use of everything,” H. Nikoghosyan said.
Environmental activist Yeghia Nersissian said in his speech that most participants of the public hearings are mine workers. “Where are the rest of the villagers, who don’t work in the mine, why aren’t they taking part in the public hearings?” the environmental activist asked.
This question remained open: where are the other villagers, who don’t work in the mine and deal with agriculture. Whether they will be able to make money from agrofood, when the mining starts?
Tashtoun Village Head’s nerves let him down because of continuous questions and he finished the hearings quickly asking the participants to express their opinions outside the building.
August 22, 2014 at 22:21