The cyanide tailing dump of Ararat Gold Mining Plant operated by GeoProMining Gold LLC is located within the administrative boundaries of Ararat village. However, this village is not officially considered an impacted settlement. Meanwhile, according to "PRIORITY PROBLEMS RELATED TO TAILING DUMPS OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA" research article, the tails of the Ararat gold extraction plant belong to the most dangerous class, as cyanide is used in the technological process. Only Ararat town, where the factory is located, is considered to be the impacted community of Ararat Gold Mining Factory. The villages of Surenavan, Yeraskhavan, Armash and Avshar, located a few kilometers from the tailing dump, are not considered to be impacted.
Ararat Cement Plant is located in Ararat town, but the emissions of the plant affect not only Ararat town, but also the surrounding areas.
"We breathe in the cement dust and eat it with the fruits. The animals graze in an area of 2 km away from the tailing pond. They eat the grass with the dust. About 60% of all deaths I am aware of are caused by the cancer. They say to wear a mask against COVID, what can we do to protect ourselves from cement and cyanide?” He noted that in order to mitigate the environmental risks, GeoProMining Gold should have planted at least 30 hectares of forest, but nothing was done.
According to Inga Zarafyan, President of EcoLur Informational NGO, harmful substances are released into the atmosphere during production at Ararat Gold Mining Plant, including sulfur dioxide, hydrogen cyanide, carbon and nitrogen oxides, chlorine vapors, carbon dioxide and so on. With dust, these harmful substances residue on the lakes and water bodies of the area, then spread with water and enter the human body through the food chain.
According to Tigran Matevosyan, Kakhanov water pipeline, which serves as irrigation water for the villages of Surenavan, Armash, Yeraskhavan and Paruyr Sevak is under dangerous impact. In her turn, Inga Zarafyan mentioned. "Slowly, but without interruption, these dangerous compounds penetrate groundwater through the flow of water and contaminate the soil. It is impossible to avoid that cycle."
Director of "Forests of Armenia" NGO Nazeli Vardanyan also touched upon the legislative gaps. "It is true that the Law on Atmospheric Protection states that tails and toxic waste cannot be placed in residential areas. But it does not say at which distance. It may not be in the administrative area, but it is 10 meters away. I think that the legislation should be developed in the direction that it is clearly stated how many kilometers from the settlement there is a buffer zone," she said.
It should be noted that the Ararat Gold Mining Plant currently processes 1 million tons of ore a year. However, "GeoProMining Gold" LLC plans to increase the productivity of the factory. The new project envisages increasing productivity to 1.750 million tons due to the reconstruction of some parts of the plant. The second public hearing on GeoProMining Gold LLC's application for a preliminary environmental impact assessment to increase the productivity of e Ararat Gold Mining Plant in Ararat took place in Ararat Village on September 3, 2021.
November 09, 2021 at 13:26