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TOWN OF HRAZDAN IS ON VERGE OF ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTER
arminfo
Monday, March 14, 16:52
Town of Hrazdan has found itself on the verge of environmental
disaster.
The deposit to be developed by the Chinese company Fortune Oil is at
800 meters from the town of Hrazdan and at 1.5 kilometers from the
River Hrazdan.
Experts think that the deposit development may pollute the town
with heavy density metals and cause dangerous diseases among the
local population.
Children will be especially endangered, as at less than 2 kilometers
from the deposit there are three schools. According to assessments
of experts, the development of the deposit will result in pollution
of not only irrigation water, but also drinking water, as there are
several springs near the hill of the deposit, and hundreds of people
use these springs.
"If blasting operations are launched when developing the deposit,
Hrazdan that is considered to be one of the most polluted towns because
of the impact of a cement plant will find itself in the focus of an
environmental disaster", Head of EcoLur NGO Inga Zarafyan said to
ArmInfo correspondent.
She recalled that 2 years ago the local residents collected signatures
against the implementation of the project. Over 1500 people signed
under the relevant document.
"We do not fight against a specific company, we fight for receiving
benefit from our subsurface management and improve our laws, which do
not work. We want our government to realize at last that one should
not simply hand out our wealth without a conception, tough strategy or
independent estimation of the damage. This policy should be changed",
said Zarafyan.
Ore mining at the Hrazdan deposit will start in 2014 and the
mining output will total 1.5-2 mln tons per year. The quantity of
the produced iron ore concentrate will amount to 800,000-1,000,000
tons per year. The reserves of Hrazdan that make up 77 mln tons
(the confirmed and probable reserves make up 37 and 40 mln tons
respectively), will be developed within 15 years.
The product will be exported by railway to a large port either in
Georgia or Turkey or Iran, and the final sales market will be China.
It is noteworthy that all the three mines to be developed by Fortune
Oil (in Hrazdan, Abovyan and Svarants village) belong to Souren
Ayvazyan, the son of the former minister of nature protection of
Armenia Vardan Ayvazyan, and to Armenian MP Tigran Arzakantsyan.
From: A. Papazian
arminfo
Monday, March 14, 16:52
Town of Hrazdan has found itself on the verge of environmental
disaster.
The deposit to be developed by the Chinese company Fortune Oil is at
800 meters from the town of Hrazdan and at 1.5 kilometers from the
River Hrazdan.
Experts think that the deposit development may pollute the town
with heavy density metals and cause dangerous diseases among the
local population.
Children will be especially endangered, as at less than 2 kilometers
from the deposit there are three schools. According to assessments
of experts, the development of the deposit will result in pollution
of not only irrigation water, but also drinking water, as there are
several springs near the hill of the deposit, and hundreds of people
use these springs.
"If blasting operations are launched when developing the deposit,
Hrazdan that is considered to be one of the most polluted towns because
of the impact of a cement plant will find itself in the focus of an
environmental disaster", Head of EcoLur NGO Inga Zarafyan said to
ArmInfo correspondent.
She recalled that 2 years ago the local residents collected signatures
against the implementation of the project. Over 1500 people signed
under the relevant document.
"We do not fight against a specific company, we fight for receiving
benefit from our subsurface management and improve our laws, which do
not work. We want our government to realize at last that one should
not simply hand out our wealth without a conception, tough strategy or
independent estimation of the damage. This policy should be changed",
said Zarafyan.
Ore mining at the Hrazdan deposit will start in 2014 and the
mining output will total 1.5-2 mln tons per year. The quantity of
the produced iron ore concentrate will amount to 800,000-1,000,000
tons per year. The reserves of Hrazdan that make up 77 mln tons
(the confirmed and probable reserves make up 37 and 40 mln tons
respectively), will be developed within 15 years.
The product will be exported by railway to a large port either in
Georgia or Turkey or Iran, and the final sales market will be China.
It is noteworthy that all the three mines to be developed by Fortune
Oil (in Hrazdan, Abovyan and Svarants village) belong to Souren
Ayvazyan, the son of the former minister of nature protection of
Armenia Vardan Ayvazyan, and to Armenian MP Tigran Arzakantsyan.
From: A. Papazian