The technological danger of facilities located on the territory of the Republic of Armenia, especially the Metsamor (Armenian) NPP “Kavkaz Plus” has already written more than once. But the risks associated with radioactive substances and the threat of an accident at a nuclear power plant are not limited to the danger posed by Armenia.

Other objects located in the Republic of Armenia, including the mining and metallurgical complex, also poison the nature of the region. Residents of the villages of Metz Ayrum and Chochkan in the Lori region of Armenia are increasingly complaining about the negative impact on their health of the Naatak tailing dump of Akhtala Mining and Processing Plant CJSC. This tailing dump is located on the outskirts of the village of Metz Ayrum (which was settled by Azerbaijanis until 1988) and is only 2 kilometers from the Georgian-Armenian border.

Moreover, the drains from the tailings fall into the Debeda River, which carries its waters to Georgia, and then to Azerbaijan and flow into the Kura River, which in turn flows into the Caspian Sea.

The “tails” of the Akhtala Mining and Processing Plant contain copper, zinc, barium, arsenic, cadmium, molybdenum and other heavy metals. The level of the tailings pond rises from year to year. The area around the tailings and the water of the Debeda River are eventually increasingly polluted by heavy metals.

According to a resident of the village of Chochkan, agronomist Samveal Siradeghyan, all contaminated mass from the tailings dumps into the river Debeda, and from there the residents of the communities take water for irrigation.

Because of this effect, for many years, he said, a separate layer with a high concentrate of heavy metals formed in the soil. “This layer is visible to the naked eye, it is dark yellow in color, and almost nothing grows on it, even weeds, despite the presence of moisture,” Samvel Siradeghyan explains the situation.

“It was on my land plot of 1.5 hectares that I planted a peach orchard of 600 trees, but after two years everything was dry. As an agronomist, I say that there were no side diseases, this is a direct impact of the tailing dump. This soil is already unusable.” - notes Siradeghyan.

At the same time, there is a danger of breaking through the tailings dams. Then, thousands of tons of toxic slurry will rush down the Debeda River, into the territory of Georgia and Azerbaijan. An environmental disaster on a regional scale may occur.

In order to prevent ongoing pollution of the atmosphere of the earth and water, as well as eliminate the danger of environmental disaster, urgent measures must be taken and the waste of the Akhtala mining and processing plant to be dumped in the tailing dump.

It is extremely important to establish international environmental control over a dangerous industrial object. This is necessary for the safety of the population not only in the north of the Republic of Armenia but also in the neighboring regions of Georgia and Azerbaijan.

KavkazPlus