ArmInfo. On May 13, residents of the Mets village of Ayrum, Lori region of the Republic of Armeniaclosed the entrance to the Nahatak tailing dump in protest against the plans of the Akhtala Mining and Processing Plant to continue its operation.
According to local residents, the Nahatak tailing dump is crowded, and should have been closed and recultivated long ago. Meanwhile, the mining company intends to extend its life by increasing the level of the dam. Protesters insist that increasing the tailings dam is carried out in the absence of an approved project, and carries potential risks. In protest, the villagers closed the entrance to the tailing dump for the truck equipment of Akhtala Mining and Processing Plant.
For several years, environmentalists have been signaling the situation with the Nahatak tailing dump located in the villages of Metz Ayrum and Chochkan. Akhtala Mining and Processing Plant operates the Shamlukh copper deposit, and it is its waste that enters the tailing dump. Local residents have repeatedly pointed out its health risks and the negative impact on agricultural products, which exceeded the MPC of heavy metals (in particular, peaches from adjacent gardens revealed an increased concentration of lead). In addition, according to EcoLur NGO, waste from the tailing dump repeatedly polluted the water and land resources of the nearest communities.