Wednesday, December 4 2019 16:04

ArmInfo. The Armenian government has begun developing a strategy to reduce the negative impact of subsoil use on the environment. On December 4, RA Deputy  Prime Minister Tigran Aviyan stated this in parliament, presenting  the Government's response to the request of the Bright Armenia  faction.

According to him, the priority for the government is not only to  minimize the negative impact on the environment, but also to  eliminate the possibility of illegal use of natural resources. "Our  mining policy is aimed at increasing transparency, ensuring  accountability to the public, and therefore, we have initiated the  development of an appropriate strategy," he said.

Avinyan informed that in order to reduce the negative impact of  subsoil use, the Government has initiated a number of programs aimed  at the stable development of the industry. Regarding the impact of  subsoil use on the health of the population, the RA Ministry of  Healthcare periodically carries out the corresponding analysis of the  data.

"The Ministry of Healthcare of Armenia applied to the World Health  Organization (WHO) for methodological assistance, which will allow  better assessing the impact of environmental factors on human  health," he said.

The Deputy Prime Minister noted that the budget for 2020 provides for  413.8 million drams for reforestation. In addition, within the  framework of the program, the implementation of which will be carried  out with the support of international partners and donors, on October  10, 2020, it is planned to plant 10 million trees in Armenia.   Avinyan also said that the Ministry of the Environment has drafted a  bill amending and supplementing the Forest Code, according to which  the concept of "industrial forests" will be removed.  <Using  appropriate equipment, the composition of mining waste was analyzed,  their volume was estimated and the territory occupied by them. Work  is also underway to study and inventory closed facilities and  abandoned areas containing mining waste. In particular, the Madan  burial ground near the city of Alaverdi was studied, and samples were  taken for analysis>, Avinyan emphasized, adding that some new  adjustments for subsoil users will begin to operate next year.