Epress.am News from Armenia
More than 200 people participated in the “environmental tour of Teghut” yesterday. The event was organized by local activists, but participating in the day-long event (which aimed to increase public awareness on mine exploitation and environmental destruction in the region) were artists and politicians including Heritage Party MPs Zaruhi Postanjyan and Stepan (Styopa) Safaryan, Sardarapat movement member Tigran Khzmalyan and singer Ruben Hakhverdyan.
During the “tour”, environmentalists explained that the decision to engage in mining operations was adopted in violation of the law: the 2007 government decision transferred more than 270,000 hectares of community land adjacent to the villages of Teghut and Shnogh to Armenia Copper Programme CJSC without a tender, which violates the RA Land Code article on land allocations. Only the head of the community or regional governor council (marzpet) can make such an allocation — through competitive bidding.
Environmentalists assert that this decision also violated the terms of the Aarhus Convention, which grants the public rights to receive information on environmental issues and to participate in decision-making — a convention of which Armenia is a signatory.
As told to tour participants by Greens Union of Armenia NGO President Hakob Sanasaryan, in compiling the decision to begin mining operations the ecological damage was calculated to be 10 times less than it actually is, the wealth of flora and fauna in the forest was downplayed, and the grass-covered area was determined to be outside of the forest area.
Instead, Sanasaryan continued, the decision is used to vividly highlight mining revenues, which over a 24-year period will comprise 20 billion drams (about $51.5 million USD), only 600 million (approx. $1.5 million USD) of which will go to the state via taxes.
According to the law, Armenia’s mining industry is taxed very little; furthermore, no taxes are expected to be recouped for tailings left over from the mining process.
The first stop on Sunday’s “tour” was in Vanadzor where a demonstration was held in the square adjacent to the city hall of Armenia’s third-largest city. A group of local residents joined the group going to Teghut.
In order to ensure the security of demonstrators, the buses of participants were led by police vehicles. Police officers had questions of their own, which they directed to demonstrators, and finding out that the trip was going only to see the Teghut mine, escorted the group till the village of Shnogh, where the road to the mine itself was closed and a barricade put up near the mine itself. Gathered near the barricade were the mine’s 100 employees who were demonstrating in favor of mining operations, holding placards with such inscriptions as “Save Teghut from Fake Environmentalists” and “Alaverdi is with Teghut”.
However, not all Teghut residents shared the employees’ views: a group of locals came to speak with environmentalists, saying that they know the dangers of mining and would like that environmentally safe establishments open in their village or land be allocated for agriculture.
“But you won’t change anything now. [Harvesting] raspberries and blackberries from the forest was one way of life for us, now they’ve cut down the forest and the mine won’t happen — with what are we going to live? The village is emptying; everyone’s going to Russia, and in the mine at least there are 100 jobs,” said Teghut resident Mher Yenokyan, speaking to environmentalists.
He explained that employees of the mine receive a monthly salary of 50 to 60,000 drams (approx. $129–155 USD), which allows them to live.
Choosing not to enter into confrontation, demonstrators opted not to approach the group standing near the barricade, but entered Teghut village and asked to meet with the Teghut CJSC director. Activists were greeted by the company’s chief mining engineer, Vardges Tovmasyan, who assured them that they were committing no illegal acts. The group asked Tovmasyan to provide the legal grounds for barring entry to the area, while handing over a printed copy of the Aarhus Convention, which the mining engineer promised to review.
On the road back to Yerevan, the group stopped at the Akhtala monastery to see the nearby tailings dump. It was clearly visible that waste from the company was flowing into the rivulets leading to the town of Debet.
Sanasaryan said that Akhtala’s tailing is about 10 times less than those from the Teghut mine, the exploitation of which will cause the same poisoning of zinc, lead and arsenic, which threatens the surrounding environment and local inhabitants.
Many participants noted that seeing the tailings, they will be more resolute in fighting against mine exploitation in Teghut.