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OPEN LETTER TO "GEOTEAM" COMPANY FROM RESIDENTS CONCERNED WITH FUTURE OF GNDEVAZ AND VAYOTS DZOR
19:01 March 13, 2015
Residents Concerned with Future of Gndevaz and Vayots Dzor
Getting acquainted with Amulsar project we got very concerned and
we need clarifications and assessments of the risks we will face,
environmental, health and ecological hazards, so are addressing an
open letter to Geoteam Company and independent experts to assess the
risks and to make the population aware of them.
1. You mentioned that you have changed the location of the heap
leach facility three times since 2011, we would like to know about
the advantages of the selected location as compared with the previous
two, whether environmental, health and ecological risks are lower or
higher and whether the locations is nearer to the communities than
the previous ones.
2. Your project says it complies with international standards, so we
would like you to lay down the international standards, which say that
a heap leach facility can be constructed in a distance of 500 meters
from the community, in the orchards of Gndevaz, if the worldwide
accepted to build such structures 30 km away from residential areas.
3. You plan to use annually 2000 tons of sodium cyanide and incase
of preparing solutions of 500 mg/l concentration, which will be
poured into the area of heap leach pad within one year and plan to
construction 2 ponds, collection pond (capacity - 200,000 cum) and
a storm event pond (capacity - 170,000 cum).
We would like to get clarifications what kind of environmental disaster
will be generated in Vayots Dzor after the water polluted with million
tons of heavy metals, cyanide and hydrochloric acid due to rains and
snow melting in 3.63 million tons of cyanic solution and 134 ha of
area will flow into the Arpa River, as almost all the villages in
Vayots Dzor irrigate their fields with the water from the Arpa River.
4. You will destroy the orchards and fields in the land areas you
purchased for heap leach facility and other premises, so please specify
whether it's possible to use the harvest of the orchards and kitchen
gardens located in a distance of several dozen meters or to sell them
to you as food.
5. You mention that in the heap leach facility the PH of the sodium
cyanide shall be 11 and over in order not to have hydrogen cyanide
leak, the small amount of which is lethal. We would like to get
clarifications how this process will be implemented in the area of
134 ha with 4 million tons of solution under temperature fluctuations
from -30 to +30 degrees in the rain or snow or what kind of equipment
will be installed in this area of 134 ha, where 20 tons of cyanide
vapors will turn into emissions of 600 kg and 10 tons of hydrochloric
acid will turn into emissions of 300 kg. If all this comes true,
whether 4 million tons of alkaline solutions and 600 kg of cyanide,
300 kg of hydrochloric acid won't be hazardous for the residents and
area ecology.
Now let's discuss the hazards and risks of inorganic dust. Analyses of
40 samples taken from Amulsar mine show that besides precious metals,
the ore also contains 26 heavy metals and toxic elements (bismuth,
cadmium, cobalt, chromium, copper, gallium, molybdenum, nickel, lead,
antimony, scandium, titanium, uranium, strontium, vanadium, zinc and
wolfram) and toxic elements (arsenic, beryllium, thallium, selenium,
mercury and cadmium), which are all very toxic for the human organism.
If these elements penetrate into human organism in overdose
concentrations, they can cause mutations, poisoning, cardiovascular
diseases and cancer with lethal outcomes.
1. In the open pit area of 113.9 ha annually 12088.2 tons of explosives
will be used: each well will be charged with 239.6 kg of explosives,
50452 explosions will be carried out, dust emission accounts for
761.56 tons per year and dust will be spread in distance of 100-1000,
noise level will be almost inaudible in adjacent communities. If the
person, who made these calculations, had been to Amulsar, winds would
have blown him off for 100 meters.
Emissions in case of mine development:
Inorganic dust - 1185.8 t/y Nitrogen dioxide - 1365.86 t/y Carbon
monoxide - 1107,75 t/y Hydrocarbons - 222.4 t/y Hard particles -
113.92 t/y Sulfur dioxide - 106.35 t/y
Though these figures are far from being real, we would like you to
clarify the ecological impact in the area and Vorotan-Arpa Tunnel.
http://ecolur.org/en/news/mining/open-letter-to-quotgeoteamquot-company-from-residents-concerned-with-future-of-gndevaz-and-vayots-dzor/7118/
From: Baghdasarian
19:01 March 13, 2015
Residents Concerned with Future of Gndevaz and Vayots Dzor
Getting acquainted with Amulsar project we got very concerned and
we need clarifications and assessments of the risks we will face,
environmental, health and ecological hazards, so are addressing an
open letter to Geoteam Company and independent experts to assess the
risks and to make the population aware of them.
1. You mentioned that you have changed the location of the heap
leach facility three times since 2011, we would like to know about
the advantages of the selected location as compared with the previous
two, whether environmental, health and ecological risks are lower or
higher and whether the locations is nearer to the communities than
the previous ones.
2. Your project says it complies with international standards, so we
would like you to lay down the international standards, which say that
a heap leach facility can be constructed in a distance of 500 meters
from the community, in the orchards of Gndevaz, if the worldwide
accepted to build such structures 30 km away from residential areas.
3. You plan to use annually 2000 tons of sodium cyanide and incase
of preparing solutions of 500 mg/l concentration, which will be
poured into the area of heap leach pad within one year and plan to
construction 2 ponds, collection pond (capacity - 200,000 cum) and
a storm event pond (capacity - 170,000 cum).
We would like to get clarifications what kind of environmental disaster
will be generated in Vayots Dzor after the water polluted with million
tons of heavy metals, cyanide and hydrochloric acid due to rains and
snow melting in 3.63 million tons of cyanic solution and 134 ha of
area will flow into the Arpa River, as almost all the villages in
Vayots Dzor irrigate their fields with the water from the Arpa River.
4. You will destroy the orchards and fields in the land areas you
purchased for heap leach facility and other premises, so please specify
whether it's possible to use the harvest of the orchards and kitchen
gardens located in a distance of several dozen meters or to sell them
to you as food.
5. You mention that in the heap leach facility the PH of the sodium
cyanide shall be 11 and over in order not to have hydrogen cyanide
leak, the small amount of which is lethal. We would like to get
clarifications how this process will be implemented in the area of
134 ha with 4 million tons of solution under temperature fluctuations
from -30 to +30 degrees in the rain or snow or what kind of equipment
will be installed in this area of 134 ha, where 20 tons of cyanide
vapors will turn into emissions of 600 kg and 10 tons of hydrochloric
acid will turn into emissions of 300 kg. If all this comes true,
whether 4 million tons of alkaline solutions and 600 kg of cyanide,
300 kg of hydrochloric acid won't be hazardous for the residents and
area ecology.
Now let's discuss the hazards and risks of inorganic dust. Analyses of
40 samples taken from Amulsar mine show that besides precious metals,
the ore also contains 26 heavy metals and toxic elements (bismuth,
cadmium, cobalt, chromium, copper, gallium, molybdenum, nickel, lead,
antimony, scandium, titanium, uranium, strontium, vanadium, zinc and
wolfram) and toxic elements (arsenic, beryllium, thallium, selenium,
mercury and cadmium), which are all very toxic for the human organism.
If these elements penetrate into human organism in overdose
concentrations, they can cause mutations, poisoning, cardiovascular
diseases and cancer with lethal outcomes.
1. In the open pit area of 113.9 ha annually 12088.2 tons of explosives
will be used: each well will be charged with 239.6 kg of explosives,
50452 explosions will be carried out, dust emission accounts for
761.56 tons per year and dust will be spread in distance of 100-1000,
noise level will be almost inaudible in adjacent communities. If the
person, who made these calculations, had been to Amulsar, winds would
have blown him off for 100 meters.
Emissions in case of mine development:
Inorganic dust - 1185.8 t/y Nitrogen dioxide - 1365.86 t/y Carbon
monoxide - 1107,75 t/y Hydrocarbons - 222.4 t/y Hard particles -
113.92 t/y Sulfur dioxide - 106.35 t/y
Though these figures are far from being real, we would like you to
clarify the ecological impact in the area and Vorotan-Arpa Tunnel.
http://ecolur.org/en/news/mining/open-letter-to-quotgeoteamquot-company-from-residents-concerned-with-future-of-gndevaz-and-vayots-dzor/7118/
From: Baghdasarian