EcoLur
"EcoRight" NGO President Arthur Grigoryan is demanding from “Environmental Impact Expertise Center” SNCO of Nature Protection Ministry to issue a negative opinion for the expanded project of Qajaran mine. Arthur Grigoryan’s letter says, “On 28 November 2016 the public hearings of amendment to Qajaran copper and molybdenum mine reserves were held in Qajaran Town, Syunik Region, where the project plans to increase mining volumes up to annually 22 million instead of current 12.5 million tons for a term of 25 years. The company hasn’t provided enough data on the management of mining wastes for the given period. The analysis of the available data shows that the company doesn’t have infrastructures needed to locate mining wastes in such volumes. The EIA report is incomplete and doesn’t comply with the statutory requirements of completeness, reliability, quality, updated information, substantiation and moreover thoroughness, which doesn’t allow the competent stat body to review the aggregate impact of this project, to implement thorough EIA expertise and to find out the impact of the projected activities on human health and environment.
It didn’t become clear in the public hearings, whether the company is going to solve the problem of tails by rising the dame of “Artsvanik” tailing dump or the company is going to construct a new tailing dump? There is no information available about this in the EIA report as well. We think that the submitted EIA report shall be issued a negative opinion, as it radically contradicts RA Law “Environmental Impact Assessment” and other legal acts comprising the Armenian legislation. These drawbacks can’t be copes with a positive opinion issues with certain conditions. Taking into consideration the aforementioned substantiations I’m asking to provide a negative opinion to the project.”
December 13, 2016 at 15:58