EcoLur
The Office of the Compliance Advisor/Ombudsman experts Scott T. Adams and Alyona Gorova carried out investigation of facts in Armenia based on the complaint about Amulsar gold mine project risks developed by Lydian International Company. Its shareholders include two international financial institutions – the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and International Finance Corporation, IFC, a part of the World Bank. On 2 June the experts had a meeting with public representatives.
Levon Galstyan, a member of Pan-Armenian Environmental Front, “…The project poses damage for the whole country. They are going to explore ore in Amulsar, while Vorotan tunnel passes nearby and millions of dollars were spent on its construction. How will the explosions impact on the tunnel? The findings were obtained on the model in a territory, the tectonic-geological formation of which is not similar to Amulsar. That the mine is located in high seismicity zone was not taken into consideration. These studies were not carried out. What about the studies on the impact on mineral, underground and surface waters, the assessment risks don’t have credibility, as the studies are incomplete. ”
Eleonora Gabrielyan, Professor, President of Armenian Botanical Society, “I have detected red-listed Potentilla porphyrantha in the territory. This flower grows only in three places in the world…The company told us they will repot the plant located in this territory. I had a look at what they had replanted: whatever they replanted, grows everywhere. I tell them this flow is a rocky plant, they tell me we have much money we will transfer the rock as well…it’s a crime to destroy everything…”
Anna Shahnazaryan, “Teghout Support” civic initiative member, “The World Bank funds loaning program, which includes the rehabilitation of Gorayk village pastures…But the pastures will be destroyed because of Amulsar open pit mining…It turns out that, on one hand, the bank will make money on the loan interests, and on Amulsar gold, on the other hand…While we will incur losses by repaying the loan, on one hand, because of destruction of fertile land areas, on the other hand…Besides, I am a resident of Sevan Town, which located on the shore of Lake Sevan. I think that my rights are violated, as the whole Lake Sevan is affected by the project…41 communities on Lake Sevan shore don’t know about this project, but they are directly impacted by this project…”
Arthur Grigoryan, lawyer, “Teghout Support” initiative: “Amulsar project contradicts to several laws of Armenia, but I will outline RA Law “On Lake Sevan”, Article 26 of RA Code on Subsoil, RA Law “On Specially Protected Areas”. The project directly violates these laws: what about Vorotan-Arpa tunnel, the government specified the borders of the tunnel and these borders have immune areas of 3 km on both sides, while they directly fall into project territory…’
Tehmine Yenoqyan, journalist, Gndevaz Villager, “I have been facing this problem for several years. I will start from that on 28 November 2011 the public hearings of Amulsar project were as if held in Jermuk Town, but the minutes were not drawn up. I shot the video of these hearings, which shows what kind of clashes occurred at these hearings and how the company set the employees against villagers. Pressure was also exercised on me, our villagers were set against me, the company told them I want to deprive them of their working places. I couldn’t visit my village for a whole year. Now the situation is not so harsh, as people realized that the company can’t ensure them with working places forever and many villagers have already left the village…”
Inga Zarafyan, President of “EcoLur” Informational NGO, “…It doesn’t matter how much the company wants to avoid including Jermuk resort into the project affected zone, it will have to ace this problem, as the governmental program of community optimization directly refers to Amulsar project. Both Gndevaz and Saravan will be included in the cluster, and Jermuk will be its administrative center. It turns out that the communities hoped to supplement their budgets from the company, but after the optimization they can’t expect anything. The company can promise common compensations, but the community will have only one representative in the Aldermen’s Council, who won’t be able to influence on the budget allocation. Even how people say we bear the risks, money will go to others…Ignoring the opinion of the State Scientific-Expert Committee on Lake Sevan Ecosystem Preservation on the risks of Amulsar project, which issued a negative opinion to Amulsar project, particularly not on the heap leach plant, the project of which was not ready in 2012, but on open pit mining in Sevan basin area…There are risks of radiation contamination from Amulsar uranium demonstrations. The problem is that uranium is considered to be strategic raw material, while the monopoly to conduct geoprospecting of radioactive raw material belongs to “Armenian-Russian Mining Organization” under governmental resolution 634 N dated on 06.03.2008. That’s why all the statements of Geoteam Company on uranium can’t be considered reliable, as the company has no right to simultaneously conduct prospecting of uranium raw material…”
Silva Adamyan, Chairman of Center for Bird Lovers, “The project territory is a key ornithological area, where red-listed species live. When experts of American University of Armenia said there are no red-listed species, it didn’t comply with reality…Such projects as Amulsar cause ecomigration in countries, where people are seized their land areas, and people have to leave forever… ”
Vazgen Galstyan, Chairman of Jermuk Development Center, “Amulsar mine development will destroy Jermuk as a resort zone and the whole population of Jermuk will be left with nothing.”
June 09, 2014 at 19:14