"Akhtala Mining and Processing Plant" CJSC has the biggest role in the daily life of the development prospects of Akhtala enlarged community in Lori Region. The plant's infrastructure affects all settlements in Akhtala enlarged community, but only Akhtala and Shamlugh industrial towns are affected.
Nazik" tailing dump is located near Akhtala monastery complex in Akhtala town, which is incompletely reclaimed, "Pahesti Dzor" tailing dump is situated on Akhtala and Shamlugh road. Shamlugh copper mine is located in Shamlugh, whereas Nahatak tailing dump is located in the center of Mets Ayrum village leaving a negative impact on the neighboring village of Tchotchkan.
Akhtala Development Perspective
The residents of Mets Ayrum and Tchotchkan villages of Akhtala enlarged community see the development of the community in eliminating the negative impact of Nahatak tailing dump.
Tchotchkan villager Samvel Siradeghyan, "There is a leak from "Nahatak" tailing dump to the Nahatak river, which, in its turn, mixes with the Debed river. Debed is polluted, but we use it to irrigate our agricultural lands. After eating food grown in the soil irrigated with contaminated water, poisoning and contamination occurs in humans and animals. The tailing dump has not been fenced for years, the animals have been drinking water from the tailing dump, grazing in the adjacent lands, and there has been poisoning again. Children play near the tailing dump and have frequent headaches, dizziness and nausea."
Samvel Siradeghyan noted that "Akhtala OPC" should take measures to clean the areas polluted due to its operations and rehabilitate “Nahatak" tailing dump. "In that case, it is possible to develop agriculture in Tchotchkan. Our village has huge resources with more than 1000 hectares of arable land. It will be possible to get more products and the villagers will be engaged all year round, rather than work in mines and dangerous places. One day the reserves of the mines will be exhausted and we will have a catastrophic scene," he said.
Tchotchkan resident Ruzan Vardumyan, "Environmental pollution is a concern because it affects the health of my community, my family, my child. The main income of the villagers is agriculture. Once the pollution is reduced to some extent, people will be confident that their work will pay off."
Gayane Allahverdyan, the administrative representative of Mets Ayrum, agrees with the residents on the alternative development programs in the settlement. "If the tailing dump is rehabilitated, it is possible to think about the prospects for tourism development, which, in its turn, will create new jobs."
Akhtala resident Tatevik Israelyan noted that one of the prospects for community development may be the creation of various educational groups. "You can learn new skills, develop and apply them in the future, for example, sewing or pottery," she said.
Shamlugh: From Mining to Tourism
Shamlugh is also experiencing problems with jobs, which causes young people not to make plans for the future. The local resident mentioned that one of the ways to develop the community is to invest in programs aimed at involving the youth. Another Shamlugh resident mentioned that it is necessary to develop the small business sector in order to stay and work in the youth community.
"We cannot engage in agriculture in Shamlugh, as it is mountainous and high. We do not have irrigation water, we cannot develop livestock. On the other hand, it is far from the main road. We used to think about tent tourism, but the existence of a mine could not be combined with ecotourism. Currently we are trying to implement a service sector program," he said.
Another resident also sees the development of the community in the development of tourism considering the mountainous and forest nature of Shamlugh. "We have such wonderful nature and places of interest that can boost tourism development. Anyway, before developing tourism, the challenges should be reviewed, the problems should be solved, and only then tourists can be invited ...," the resident said.
Women's employment is also a serious problem in Shamlugh. If it is possible to find work for men at Shamlugh mine, the community that had a large garment factory in Soviet times today has no alternative offer for women. Jobs are limited to school and kindergarten employment.
This article was prepared within the framework of "Social and Ecological Responsibility" project.
“Social and Ecological Responsibility” project is carried out by “Center for Community Mobilization and Support”, “Martuni Women’s Community Council”, “New Horizons”, “EcoLur” and “Forests of Armenia” NGOs within the frameworks of The Data for Accountable and Transparent Action (DATA) project.
The Data for Accountable and Transparent Action (DATA) project is made possible by the generous support of the American People through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents of DATA Project are the sole responsibility of “Community Mobilization and Support Center” NGO and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID, EPF, and DATA Consortium.
January 19, 2022 at 14:06