EcoLur
In early June, cloudburst flood covered the summer house areas located only in several kilometres from Armenian nuclear power plant. The irrigation system was destroyed. The flood tore off parts of concrete canals and threw them out in the range of several meters. EcoLur working group visited the scene. We could see not only garbage collected in flooded basements, but also animal carcasses. 'At nights we always heard sounds of both dogs and cats from above (where the cloudburst came from). But now it's quite. But after a month we will see the consequences.'
“What can you do, if such stream flows to you? Nothing. I think, if the stream was larger, what could happen to our nuclear power plant?” Metsamor resident was worried.Center for Developing Armavir Head Naira Arakelyan said, “The cloudburst flood destroyed irrigation system and everything was flooded.” One of the owners of summer cottages showed us the only animal left alive, a rabbit. “Everything has been taken away. I let it free, let it run around…”
“The main concern of Metsamor residents and summer community is due to the fact that officials didn’t react to this disaster in any way. People from Ministry of Emergency States came and were searching for the lost child. They found the child (dead) and that’s it. We haven’t seen them any more. Just look what is going on here…If the machinery was brought here on time, we wouldn’t have such destructions. They didn’t work at all…”
A problem was left. “I received a notice from sanitary and epidemiological station in reply to my complaint. The reply says that on 13 June they took water samples (irrigation) and found out that everything is within standards…But it’s me who opens valves, nobody else can do it, except me. We opened the valves only on 15 June. Everything you can see here is mud, garbage, packages, everything brought by the cloudburst flood; all this we took out of wells…”
We would like to draw attention to the fact that the territory of summer cottage land areas is located within ranges of one administrative territory with Armenian nuclear power plant.
This territory needs special attention. It’s already clear that sanitary and epidemiological station neglected its obligations and didn’t carry out proper studies. A question arises whether damage of structures belonging to ANPP is excluded. It should be noted that ANPP is a closed enterprise and none of ANPP official representatives made any statement after the disaster in regard with the structures owned by them.
EcoLur is applying to Health Ministry, Ministry for Emergency States and to ANPP heads with a request to respond to this alarm signal:
- To hold studies on the scene of destructions in villages and to find out what is the condition with irrigation system of summer communities and what is the condition with water supply and discharge in the territory of ANPP. We also demand from government to urgently interfere in eliminating the consequences of this disaster.
June 27, 2012 at 15:49