BakuTV exclusive: Armenia killing own residents, population of entire region by polluting environment

By polluting the environment, the Armenian government, which is imitating concern for the Armenian-speaking population of Karabakh, turning to international institutions with complaints about the so-called 'hunger' which is not there, and about the pseudo-blockade, is slowly killing the population of both its country and the entire region.

The Okhchuchay River, polluted by the mining waste of the cities of Kapan and Kajaran, plays the role of an industrial waste collector, BakuTV reports.

As the wastes from the Zangazur copper-molybdenum plant is dumped directly into the river without any treatment, the level of pollution is many times higher than the norm, and the resources of the reservoir are considered unusable. Dead water, which has a high content of heavy metals, is not only unsuitable for use, but also dangerous,

The head of the Armenian public information organization EcoLur, Inga Zarafyan, noted that cheap equipment is used at the mines of the Zangazur copper-molybdenum plant and the Kapan gold mining enterprise, and the health and environmental problems arising from this are of no interest to anyone: “The infrastructure itself, this territory, has several sources of pollution," she said, adding that firstly, it is the plant itself.

“Near the Kajaran tailings dump [a complex of special facilities and equipment designed for the storage or disposal of radioactive, toxic and other waste] the air is very disgusting. There’s not even anything to breathe there. Nothing grows in our orchards: it immediately turns yellow, all the greenery and fruit trees, the leaves are immediately covered with rust,” said Svetlana Farmatyan, one of the residents of Achanan village.

People living dangerously close to the so-called tailings dumps, where there is an increased content of harmful gases in the air, including sulfur dioxide and dimethyl sulfide, graze livestock, gather grass and berries. The territories of the vast majority of tailings are not limited in any way. In addition, many residents themselves note the high percentage of diseases in cities.

However, the mining companies operating the tailings, such as the Zangazur copper-molybdenum plant, continue to ignore the public health problem, and the authorities turn a blind eye to what is happening without explanation.