At the end of last year, with the connivance of the authorities, who promised peace as a guarantee of protection for the Armenian people from external threats, a new deadly threat loomed over the heads of those same people within the country. Not only are environmentalists and other experts sounding the alarm, but due to the unacceptable scale of construction, the abundance of cars and endless traffic jams, as well as the ruthless exploitation of countless mines, the number of fatal diseases in Armenia has risen sharply due to air, water, soil, and environmental pollution. Armenia has already become one of the world’s leading countries in cancer rates. And these authorities, instead of taking measures against these real risks, are further exacerbating an already dire situation with their patronage.
At the end of last year, a decision was made to develop a new mine, inherently dangerous, in the Karmir Mountains, where there are limestone deposits, in the area adjacent to the settlement of Artashat. The project coordinator is Garik Sargsyan, the mayor of Vedi and a member of the Communist Party of Armenia. The mine operator intends to extract limestone marl there. The project also includes the construction of a cement plant in the area. This is despite the fact that the immediate vicinity of the Karmir Mountains is home to agricultural land and settlements where people live, cultivate the land, export their agricultural products to the Armenian market, and earn a living. Agriculture is their livelihood. Specifically, the settlements of Aygezard, Kagtsrashen, Ginevet, and Nor-Ugi are located near the proposed mining site. Residents have repeatedly expressed their opposition to the mine and plant, presenting scientific reports on their concerns about air, soil, and water pollution. According to environmentalists, the area is home to 14 plant species and 16 animal species listed in the Red Book, which could become extinct as a result of the mine and plant’s operations. Even residents of neighboring villages organized a signature drive calling for the mine’s development to be rescinded, expressing their opposition and concerns about the upcoming hearings.
But, as is usually the case in such cases, material gain prevailed over the citizens’ right to life, and this, as we have already mentioned, under the watchful eyes and with the high-level patronage of the authorities, who have made peace for the Armenian people their hallmark.
They say, “We will peacefully protect you from the threat of an external enemy, but we ourselves will threaten your life and health because the company preparing to develop the mine is talking about an investment of 25-35 million drams.” This is how cheaply the velvet authorities sell citizens’ lives. Last November, the Vedi Community Council, chaired by community leader Garik Sargsyan, unanimously voted to issue an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) permit for mining operations in Karmir Sar to ORD GROUP LLC, owned by Samvel and Tigran Ordukhanyan. This granted the company the right to apply to the Ministry of Environment to conduct environmental impact studies of its activities in the area. It should be noted that the Ministry’s EIA Expertise Center had already rejected ORD LLC’s application for a limestone mining permit in the Karmir Sar area, citing the presence of rare and protected animal and plant species. However, it appears the company’s founders are not giving up and are now attempting to take over Karmir Sar under the guise of another LLC. The ball is now in the Ministry of Environment’s court.
Former Deputy Minister of the Environment Ayser Ghazaryan expressed concern that this initiative, which poses a serious threat to Ararat’s agricultural potential, could also become a reality, similar to, for example, the large-scale construction in Yerevan, carried out through corrupt schemes, ignoring all dangers, and flagrantly violating the law.
In the case of the planned mine, he said, laws are being ignored or amended, international standards are being ignored, and everything is being done to make the program a reality, as the authorities expect it to generate investment and financial flows. For years, alarm bells have been raised about the extreme levels of air pollution in the capital, which cause serious health problems for Yerevan residents, including fatal illnesses.
But construction continues unabated; new permits are being issued, and new construction sites are appearing in Yerevan. The same principle, according to the former deputy minister, could be applied in this case, ignoring the interests and opinions of the Armenian people.
Ghazaryan says that in the USSR, officials and specialists were not foolish not to use Karmir Mountain as a mine. If the plant and mine operate, mine dust will settle on nearby settlements within a 5-10 km radius, which are agricultural lands.
They export goods. This will have a long-term impact onand the land, agriculture, and especially children. In particular, serious health problems will arise, and we will have a sick generation.