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Letter to Armenian PM on Amulsar

[Kapan988]

Proposals on Top Problems in Environmental Sector of Armenia Submitted to Armenian PM

EcoLur

The representatives of the Armenian civil society concerned with the environmental problems available in Armenia have sent proposals to Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan aimed at the regulation of priority problems in the sector environment. They expect these proposals will be included in the program of the Armenian Government.
The proposals are laid down below:

Proposals of Civil Society in Sector of Environment Addressed to Armenian Government

1. To refuse from collective responsibility and to obligate the members of the government and department heads to bear responsibility for the policy run under their signature so as to increase accountability before civil society.
2. To ensure the transparency of the activities of the Armenian Government, ministries and governmental bodies through establishing unfailing contact with the mass media.
3. To increase the number of the meetings held between the members of the Armenian Government and the civil society to discuss the posed problems and proposals.

Mining

New Mines

4. To annul the positive opinion of RA Nature Protection Ministry issued to Amulsar gold mining project in 2016 conditioned with the new circumstances emerged in Amulsar project (studies and opinions issued by Blue Minerals Consultancy – Australia, Buka Environmental – the US and Clear Coast Consulting Inc. – Canada). 
5. To recognize the liability of the government and 'Teghout' CJSC for the elimination of the environment, pollution of transboundary water (Debed River), decrease in the social welfare of the local population in Shnogh community area, Lori Region, to assess the extent of the caused damage, to ensure the recovery of relevant sums of money to RA state budget, to obligate the company administration to present a new plan aimed at the prevention of soil degradation, forest elimination and water pollution and to obligate to pay compensation for the caused damage to the local residents.
6. To stop the intensive development process of mining due to new minefields thus ensuring the way of sustainable development adopted by Armenia.
7. To stop development of mines and geological prospecting in the specifically protected areas of nature.

Old Mines

8. To stop the intensive development of Qajaran copper and molybdenum mine, Agarak copper and molybdenum mine, Shamlugh copper mine, Akhtala polymetallic mine, Sotq gold mine, Shahumyan gold-polymetallic mine at the expense of increasing their mining capacities unless the damage caused to the environment is eliminated and mechanisms aimed at preventing and eliminating environmental pollution are presented.

Lake Sevan

9. To ban any additional water intake from Lake Sevan. For the purpose of ensuring water to the residents of Armavir, Aragatsotn, and Ararat Regions in the irrigation reason, to review the policy run by State Committee on Water Industry to ensure the farmers with water and to reach elimination or significant reduction of water losses in the irrigation system.
10. To publicise the results of the monitoring of cage-net trout breeding project in Lake Sevan, including the results of Lake Sevan pollution studies and the impact on Lake Sevan trout population in the lake.
11. To ban the construction and development of SHPPs on the river flowing into Lake Sevan. 

Energy
SHPPs

12. To stop the process of uncontrollable use of the hydroresources in the sector of hydropower, licensing and formulation of water permits, to review the policy of issuing SHPP privileges, to ban the use of the main springs forming water basins of fish spawning for energetic purposes, to establish new demands and standards posed to fish-protecting structures, and to design fish passways for operating and planned reservoirs.
13. To increase the transparency of SHPP operation through eco-passporting of SHPP.
14. To ensure the preservation regime of monuments of nature and to restore the 24/7 water flow of Shaqi waterfall, a monument of nature and to ban the use of its water for hydropower purposes. 

ANPP
15. To increase ANPP security, to store radioactive wastes and spent nuclear fuel in a reliable and safe manner.
16. To grant a status of an impacted community to the communities located in a diameter of 10 km from ANPP and to organize urgent discussions in these communities for safety issues and the introduction of social programs. 

Forest/Fuel
17. To stop all kinds of tree felling in the forest for a term of 5 years envisaging a social package for socially insecure households for gas and electricity bills.

18. To carry out wide-scale reforestation and forest conservation works with a state program. 

Disaster in Ararat Valley
19. To determine the extent of liability of those people, who permitted the disaster in Ararat Valley because of overexploitation of groundwater resources and to make them liable for this environmental crime. In order to assess the expediency of the further use of the groundwater resources in Ararat Valley to establish an assessment committee in reasonable time limits and to review the state policy on using groundwater for economic purposes based on the findings.

Inga Zarafyan, 'EcoLur' Informational NGO
Karen Manvelyan, WWF-Armenia
Nazeli Vardanyan, 'Forests of Armenia' NGO
Artur Grigoryan, 'EcoRight' NGO
Liana Asoyan, 'Blejan NGO'
Roza Julhakyan, an independent expert
Samvel Pipoyan, an independent expert
Tehmine Yenoqyan, Lragir.am website
Narine Kirakosyan, 'Eco-Media' Network of Environmental Journalists
Edvard Arzumanyan, an independent expert
Victoria Burnazyan, 'EcoLur' Informational NGO
Monica Yeritsyan, 'EcoLur' Informational NGO
 

15:17 May 18, 2018