Armenian environmentalists continue to issue warnings about possible ecological consequences of the use of iron mines, such as those situated in Abovyan, Hrazdan and Svarants. They sent letters to this effect to a number of senior officials in Armenia, but haven’t heard from them yet.

Development of a total of about 500 mines in Armenia accounts for only 3-4 percent of the country’s gross domestic product, while the damage caused by them is incomparably higher, argue environmentalists.

“The actual recycled material, that is metal, that goes for export or is used otherwise makes only 0.7-0.8 percent, while about 99 percent is the waste, that is the tailings that remain in nature poisoning the environment,” says head of the Association “For Sustainable Human Development” NGO Karine Danielyan, who adds that 98 percent of industrial waste in Armenia originates in the southern Syunik province, while Lori in the north of the country accounts for 2 percent of wastes.

Specialists remind that mining, agriculture and tourism that all are considered to be priority sectors for development in Armenia are incompatible, since air pollution caused by mining is unfavorable for either agriculture or tourism.

Ruben Yadoyan, a candidate of geological-mineralogical sciences, says that the mines in Hrazdan and Abovyan will have a direct effect on Armenia’s fresh drinking water.

Among other things specialists suggest setting up manufactures working on the basis of minerals rather than export them, so as to stop being a mining adjunct, as well as using 15 tailings depots as material resources, something that they contend modern technologies allow to do.

Still a month ago joint letters consisting of several points were sent by experts and a dozen NGOs to Armenia’s president, prime minister and parliament speaker. The officials forwarded the letters to the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, but environmentalists say no reply has been received from there yet.