BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 27. More than 100 NGOs in the fields of ecology and healthcare operating in Armenia have recently appealed to the country's leadership regarding the exploitation of the Amuldag (Amulsar) gold deposit, a member of the "Environmental Protection First" (EPF) coalition, the Executive Director of the Service for the Sake of Health Public Union (Azerbaijan) Parvana Valiyeva told Trend.
She said that the appeal condemned the resumption of the deposit's operation, despite its significant environmental pollution.
"One of the protesters' claims was that Armenia, by exploiting the Amuldag gold deposit, violates both domestic legislation and fails to fulfill its international obligations. The exploitation of the Amuldag gold deposit poses a threat to biodiversity and water resources," the union's representative explained. "As a result of the deposit's operation, the environment is contaminated with radioactive substances, and at the same time, a technology prohibited by many countries is used during exploitation. These radioactive substances seep into groundwater, causing damage to the natural mineral springs of the Istisu resort area, located near Amulsar."
She noted that the Lydian Armenia company is primarily responsible for the exploitation of the deposit.
"According to the results of monitoring carried out in connection with environmental impact assessment, the exploitation of this deposit was required to be halted. However, neither Armenia nor the company fulfilled these promises. Exploitation of the deposit has resumed. We, the Environmental Protection First coalition, share the concerns of NGOs operating in Armenia and invite them to collaborate," Valiyeva also said.
"We have repeatedly raised these issues, sent official letters to companies operating in Amulsar, expressed our willingness to meet with them. The exploitation of the deposit is carried out without considering the results of environmental monitoring," she pointed out. "Even international organizations have emphasized that the exploitation of the Amulsar gold deposit has a negative impact on the environment, being a source of serious illnesses for people."
"The authorities of Armenia and the companies exploiting the deposit should allow international experts, environmental organizations, including our coalition and relevant NGOs operating in Azerbaijan, to inspect this facility, conduct monitoring, and provide their conclusions," the EPF member added.
Amuldag deposit is located 13 kilometers away from the city of Istisu (Jermuk) which is a natural mineral water. The deposit is also located in the area between Arpachay and Bazarchay. Both rivers pass through the territory of Azerbaijan and flow into the Araz river. The use of toxic substances, which have been banned for a long time in the exploitation of the Amuldag field, which pose a high threat to the environment, destroys nature, causes acidification of river waters and water poisoning. In addition to gold mining polluting the waters of this river, it also has a negative impact on the ecosystem of Lake Goycha (Sevan), which is the largest freshwater lake in Armenia, located near the area.
At the same time, this industry poses a serious threat to the Caspian Sea basin. Arpachay and Bazarchay, which flow from the territory of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic of the Republic of Azerbaijan, flow into the Araz River and from there into the Caspian Sea. Thus, it seriously damages the ecology of not only Azerbaijan, but also Iran, as well as other Caspian countries.
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