When Will Environmental Migration Start in Meghri? (Photos)

EcoLur

The southern outpost of Armenia, Meghri Town, is exposed to environmental migration. The problem is that mining industry is developing in Meghri area with all inherent problems and risks. The powerful pace for Meghri ignores the fact that Meghri is located below than the constructed mining objects, objects being and to be constructed. All the weight and load from industrial wastes and tails falls on Meghri. These are real threats for health and environment and for the main occupation of the locals – agriculture.

The Meghri River ensures the main water supply for the whole Meghri area. It flows down from the mountains through Meghri Gorge, which is now filled with new mining objects.

A new ore processing plant owned by “Tatsum” Company will soon be opened in a distance of 16 km directly from Meghri, near Litchq Village, which intends to develop two mines – Litchq copper mine and Aygedzor copper and molybdenum mine. The construction works are at full swing. The land area, which, under the project, should be used for the territory rehabilitation, is dumped into the nearest gorge.

The objects of Sagamar Company affiliated with Russian “Neva-Rus” Company are located in a distance of 16 km, in the south-west of Meghri directly on the bank of Meghri River. The company should mine gold from Tey-Litchqvaz gold-sulfide mine, which doesn’t deal with its objects for several years. Besides, the company is not engaged with its main activities, as well as it doesn’t follow the safety of its suspended objects. As a result, toxic compounds from tails and wastes are washed in Meghri River and flow below to Meghri Town.

A whole group of mines where geoprospecting is carried out, is located in Meghri area such as Khachqar-Paravan polymetallic mine, Berdasar copper and molybdenum mine, Verin Vardanidzor gold mine, Hez-hez gold mine, Vanq and Kaler mines of noble metals on the Tundir River, Shvanidzor nepheline and syenite mine, Nyuvad copper mine, Nrnadzor copper and gold mine. Some of them deserve special attention, for example, Tashtun mine, which was explored in the Soviet period and where the locals were employed. The ex employees of the geological expeditions assure they prospected uranium in Tashtun.

Development of nepheline and syenite mine is also characteristic with increased risks and keeping tails requires special technologies worth millions of dollars.

Not far from Vardanidzor village we saw an area where geoprospecting was in progress, but at this moment nobody can b found there. Informed people assure that rhenium reserves had been detected, which is one of the most expensive elements in international markets. It’s still unknown who will mine it, but the locals don’t doubt that the mountain will be destroyed and the tails will be dumped into the Meghri River.

And finally, Agarak copper and molybdenum mine, Agarak copper and molybdenum combine and several tailing dumps owned by GeoProMining Company are located in a distance of 5 km in the north-west from Meghri.

June 28, 2013 at 13:29