Surprise, surprise, surprise… Not!
I was shocked, shocked, to learn from a very brief news item a few days ago of a breach in the Teghut (Teghout/Teghoud) copper and molybdenum mine’s tailings* pond, resulting in the toxic liquids’ retained therein flowing into the Teghut River, thence to the Shnogh, and on to the Debed (Tepet) rivers. I’m still hoping this is not true, since it has not been widely reported as of this writing, but my guts tell me it is all too real.
What makes this all the more “wonderful” is that upstream, in the town of Aghtala, another mining operation has filled up its tailings containment area and is seeking permission to dump its future tailings in a mine that is no longer being exploited. Meanwhile, guess where their toxic sludge is being dumped—right into the Tepet River. Just for good measure, this stuff is being channeled through a flood control ditch that runs behind people’s homes. Quite expectably, the kids, and even adults, are displaying various health problems.
The icing on the cake is that the Debed runs through Alaverdi, too, further upstream. That town is also known for its own toxic mining-emissions issues. How about buying some real estate along this stretch of river? If I were the Mayor of Tiflis/Tbilisi, I would be quite disturbed by all this, since that’s where the river eventually goes, through the Armenian regions of Georgia.
Meanwhile, in Ashtarak, in another instance of what appears to be a case of government officials’ abusing their positions for personal gain, the Chief of Staff Davit Sukiasian of the Republic of Armenia’s Special Investigative Service has gotten a special dispensation. One of his companies, ML Mining, will be permitted to import equipment—customs-duty free. Given how poorly operated mines are in Armenia, the new operation ML Mining seeks to start, an open pit mine for basalt and ores, will no doubt continue the country’s toxification.
As if this wasn’t bad enough on the toxics/pollution/bad policy front, the Armenian Weekly, reporting on the soon-to-be-built sanitary landfill for Yerevan, noted that toxic liquid leaching out of the current Nubarashen landfill can no longer be contained. It has formed a “river” of leachate that is already affecting people.
Meanwhile, some 7,200 miles west of Armenia, in the “heart” of the Los Angeles basin’s Armenian mega-community, the city of Glendale is in the process of studying how to replace its aging, 80ish-year-old natural-gas-fired electricity-generating plants. Unfortunately, the proposal that has come forth is to build another gas plant, with much more capacity than Glendale’s highest projected needs. It is suspected that the intent is to sell excess electricity to help with the city’s financial woes. But, even that doesn’t make sense. California is headed toward a 100 percent renewably (solar, wind, geothermal, hydropower, biomass, etc.) generated electricity future. Before the new power plant’s life expires, it could well be rendered useless. Thus, it would cost rather earn the city’s residents money. On Jan. 23, 150-200 people showed up at the Glendale City Council meeting to make their voice heard. On February 6, the Council will formally discuss the process. Citizens want an independent consultant to do the work and consider renewable alternatives to natural gas. The current consultant also supplies gas fired equipment, which creates a conflict of interest, since they stand to benefit, handsomely, if the city goes with gas.
In both places we have the opportunity to do the right thing. Armenians are 100 percent of the decision-makers in the Republic of Armenia and 80 percent (four of five city council members) in Glendale. Regardless of where you live, talk up our homeland’s toxics—especially mining—problems. If you live in Glendale or nearby, you will likely be impacted by whatever this city decides, so show up to the February 6 city council meeting at 6 p.m. (corner of Broadway and Glendale) and speak your mind.
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* Tailings are the waste products of mining operations and are generally fairly dense liquids or rocks. They tend to be quite toxic.
Garen Yegparian
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Thank you Garen for bringing attention to Diasporans the devastating effects of unregulated and un-monitored mining in Armenia. We all visit it and think we eat and drink the clean fruits and water of homeland. Yet the cases of birth defects, infertility and cancer are significantly on the rise. I suggest you read more at http://www.armecofront.net/en/ Environmental activists have raised the alarm since 2010 but who listens and who complains to the government or when officials come to visit US why don’t we tell them that we are so concerned and shocked?!
To add to the discussion there is also GMO imported in Armenia http://www.aravot-en.am/2018/01/26/206798/
The news about Teghut is certainly true, and there are videos proving the leak (http://www.armecofront.net/en/news/what-is-going-on-at-teghut-mine-video/). There are many other problems, too. The most recent information is that the Teghut factory stopped operating and all the workers are notified that they will be fired in 2 months. ALL of this was expected, predicted and warned about by the environmental community and independent experts for years before opening the mine in Teghut. I think at this moment it is very important to learn from this experience and put much efforts to demand final closure of the mine and recultivation of the land with the MONEY of Vallex – the mining company. It is also very important to mobilize and do everything we can for not allowing Amulsar gold project to begin. And another bad news is that now some people want to sell Armenia for oil and gas; I hope some of us in Toronto can speak very loudly against this https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/oil-in-armenia-tickets-42884791566