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Last changed: 11/02/11
enlarge graphic (JPG / 110 KB)Mining activities are extremely important for Armenia, in both economic and socio-political terms. Copper, zinc, gold and lead are amongst Armenia’s principal exports. It is unfortunately the case that mining activities are associated with a very high level of risk, both for people and for the environment. This was shown in no uncertain terms by the hazardous incident in Baia Mare (Romania) in 2000, in which a breach in the dam of a retention pond containing waste water contaminated with cyanide associated with gold processing caused serious damage to the catchment area of the Danube.
One important step on the way to the minimisation of the harmful effects of such an incident in Armenia will be to inform those people living in close proximity to hazardous industrial sites about what to do in the case of an incident and to train them in how to respond appropriately in case of emergency.
It is in exactly this area that a project is being initiated which is being financed by the Federal Environment Ministry’s Advisory Assistance Programme for environmental protection in Central and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia – the project on ”informing the public in areas close to hazardous industrial activities in Armenia, using mining as an example.” With this project Armenia is pursuing three goals: reducing the likelihood of dangerous effects from mining activities, contributing to the implementation of the Convention on the Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents drawn up under the auspices of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), and promoting greater awareness of the risks posed by potentially dangerous industrial sites in the South Caucasus.
enlarge graphic (JPG / 91 KB)Armenia became a signatory to the Convention in 1997, putting it into practice by means of a raft of laws and regulations. The Advisory Assistance project is now pursuing the aim of testing out for the first time the effectiveness of the legal requirements at local level: carrying out a hazardous incident drill with the assistance of the public, industrial companies, and disaster relief agencies and investigating the effectiveness of a hazard and danger prevention plan. With this project Armenia is entering largely uncharted territory, and the results could well serve as a pilot for the whole region and beyond.
The first step in the project will see visits by members of the project team from JINJ Consult to industrial companies, in the course of which the technological equipment and aspects of process safety at the industrial sites will be recorded. In the second step the local populace around each of the sites will be instructed in preventative measures in the case of a hazardous industrial accident. The following step will see active testing by the local population and disaster relief agencies of the preventative measures designed for use in case of emergency. Relevant authorities will also be involved in the project alongside the public and the operators of the industrial sites in question. They will also take part in the drills based on simulated hazardous incidents.
The final step will be to compile and distribute the preventative precautions and other measures in the form of an information brochure. It is planned to make a documentary film of the training procedure, which will be distributed in CD format and on Armenian television.
enlarge graphic (JPG / 67 KB)The project got underway in September 2008 with a preliminary meeting in Yerevan attended by all the active players, including the Armenian Ministry of the Environment, the coordinating consultancy firm JINJ Consult, Global Gold Mining LLC, and representatives from the affected local population groups. Other interested organisations and parties were also invited. Representatives came from the German Embassy, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the United Nations Development Programme and the Armenian Health Ministry. The first information events and training courses for members of local population groups and Global Gold Mining LLC are currently under way.
In addition to the stated aims of the project, it is also intended to put it forward as Germany’s contribution to the Technical Assistance Programme of the UNECE Convention on the Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents. The trial is taking place in one of the production sites of the Global Gold Mining LLC mining company. This connection may give rise to positive repercussions for the work of the Federal Environment Agency in the context of the UNECE Joint Expert Group on the development of guiding principles to ensure the safety of retention ponds. Practical experience derived from the project may be of use in the work of the Expert Group.
This project is technically accompanied by section III 1.2, Safety of Installations, Prevention of Hazardeous Incidents.
All photos in this articlel are by G. Winkelmann-Oei, Umweltbundesamt.