BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 25. Today in Armenia, the mining industry, which is working without any environmental norms and standards, causes serious damage to the environment, Trend reports referring to the report on space monitoring of extractive fields on the territory of Armenia, prepared and presented by the NGO coalition "Environmental Protection First" in cooperation with AzerCosmos.
There is a lot of negative information in the Armenian press on this issue. Although the volume of investments in the mining industry of Armenia is increasing, this process is accompanied by rapid destruction of the environmental situation.
"The ongoing activities of the mining industry do not take place without affecting the environmental situation of the countries in the region. The location of many mines near water sources leads to the discharge of chemical wastes, considered harmful to the environment, into rivers. Approximately 70 percent of Azerbaijan's surface water resources are generated in neighboring countries through transboundary water flows. Since Armenia is geographically located in the basin of the rivers that pass through Azerbaijan, any mining activities carried out on its territory have a clear environmental impact on our country. As a member of the Espoo Convention, Armenia should be consulted on any activities carried out on its territory and in many cases must obtain Azerbaijan's consent," the report says.
Also, the report includes the results of space monitoring of 26 mining deposits located on the territory of Armenia. Space monitoring works were carried out on the basis of images acquired by SPOT 6 and Azersky (SPOT 7) satellites in 2017 and 2023.