Investigative committee unveils concise conclusion on Amulsar project
21.08.2019,
16:18
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan placed on his Facebook page the concise conclusion of the Investigative Committee of Armenia regarding an independent environmental audit of Amulsar gold deposit made by a Lebanese environmental consultancy ELARD.
YEREVAN, August 21. /ARKA/. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan placed on his Facebook page the concise conclusion of the Investigative Committee of Armenia regarding an independent environmental audit of Amulsar gold deposit made by a Lebanese environmental consultancy ELARD.
The first part of the conclusion says there is no direct connection between the groundwater on the territory of the Amulsar gold project and the thermal springs of Jermuk resort town in Vayots Dzor province. Moreover, it is said that if an earthquake destroys the gangue and fills the groundwater with acid drainage, there will be no impact on the thermal waters of Jermuk.
Regarding the impact of the project development on the waters of Lake Sevan, the conclusion notes that even if acid drainage mixes with the waters of the Kechut reservoir and flows into the lake basin, the concentration of harmful substances will most likely not be significant due to the size of Sevan.
Regarding biodiversity, the conclusion notes that there has been no violation of national or international legal standards.
Regarding the project's potential impact on air quality, the conclusion indicates that no serious problems were found that could not be “mitigated”. It is also noted that, taking into account the planned mitigation measures, the situation regarding air quality is highly likely to be regulated.
Further, the Investigative Committee provides points on which the expert group and Lydian Armenia disagree. By analyzing these controversial issues, the Investigative Committee concludes that the risks involved, subject to appropriate measures, are controllable.
Along with this, the Lydian Armenia company agreed with an expert group on the issue that periodically it is necessary to revise monitoring plans. In particular, the point in question is the fact that no samples are taken from the Darb River and the northern part of the Kechut reservoir.
The development of the Amulsar project was halted in 2018 June after environmental groups and local residents set up illegal blockades preventing access to the mine. They argue that the project would pollute the Jermuk mineral water springs and Armenia's largest Lake Sevan. Police have failed to remove the protestors.
In July 2018, bowing to the pressure of Lydian Armenia and environmental activists Armenia’s Investigative Committee launched an inquiry to examine claims of willful concealment of environmental pollution data regarding the mine. The Lebanese consulting firm ELARD was contracted as part of this investigation to review the results of the previous two environmental assessment studies on the mining site.
On August 15 the Toronto-based Lydian International Limited announced that the Special Investigative Committee of Armenia (ICA) released the ELARD report on the environmental audit .
In a statement, Lydian quoted Hayk Grigoryan, the head of ICA, as saying that the investigative body had analyzed the information and findings provided by the international audit report and found there were no grounds for criminal prosecution and continuation of criminal proceedings against the company.
Lydian Armenia was founded in 2005, and all 100% shares in it are owned by Lydian International. The Amulsar mine program is the first project of the company in Armenia. The Amulsar gold deposit is the second largest deposit in Armenia in terms of gold reserves and is said to contain about 31 million tons of ore and 40 tons of pure gold.
Armenian local environmentalists and residents of nearby villagers have been protesting against the development of the mine for years, claiming that the mining activities would endanger the region’s water resources and the local population’s health. . --0-
The first part of the conclusion says there is no direct connection between the groundwater on the territory of the Amulsar gold project and the thermal springs of Jermuk resort town in Vayots Dzor province. Moreover, it is said that if an earthquake destroys the gangue and fills the groundwater with acid drainage, there will be no impact on the thermal waters of Jermuk.
Regarding the impact of the project development on the waters of Lake Sevan, the conclusion notes that even if acid drainage mixes with the waters of the Kechut reservoir and flows into the lake basin, the concentration of harmful substances will most likely not be significant due to the size of Sevan.
Regarding biodiversity, the conclusion notes that there has been no violation of national or international legal standards.
Regarding the project's potential impact on air quality, the conclusion indicates that no serious problems were found that could not be “mitigated”. It is also noted that, taking into account the planned mitigation measures, the situation regarding air quality is highly likely to be regulated.
Further, the Investigative Committee provides points on which the expert group and Lydian Armenia disagree. By analyzing these controversial issues, the Investigative Committee concludes that the risks involved, subject to appropriate measures, are controllable.
Along with this, the Lydian Armenia company agreed with an expert group on the issue that periodically it is necessary to revise monitoring plans. In particular, the point in question is the fact that no samples are taken from the Darb River and the northern part of the Kechut reservoir.
The development of the Amulsar project was halted in 2018 June after environmental groups and local residents set up illegal blockades preventing access to the mine. They argue that the project would pollute the Jermuk mineral water springs and Armenia's largest Lake Sevan. Police have failed to remove the protestors.
In July 2018, bowing to the pressure of Lydian Armenia and environmental activists Armenia’s Investigative Committee launched an inquiry to examine claims of willful concealment of environmental pollution data regarding the mine. The Lebanese consulting firm ELARD was contracted as part of this investigation to review the results of the previous two environmental assessment studies on the mining site.
On August 15 the Toronto-based Lydian International Limited announced that the Special Investigative Committee of Armenia (ICA) released the ELARD report on the environmental audit .
In a statement, Lydian quoted Hayk Grigoryan, the head of ICA, as saying that the investigative body had analyzed the information and findings provided by the international audit report and found there were no grounds for criminal prosecution and continuation of criminal proceedings against the company.
The audit focused on the “wilful concealing of information about pollution of the environment by officials related to the exploitation of the Amulsar gold mine” and was started in March this year.
Armenian local environmentalists and residents of nearby villagers have been protesting against the development of the mine for years, claiming that the mining activities would endanger the region’s water resources and the local population’s health. . --0-
