Disaster of Acid Drainage in Stepanavan: Response from the Armenian Environmental Front

The Armenian Environmental Front (AEF) has announced on its Facebook page: "There is a disaster of acid drainage in Stepanavan. This is what has spared Amulsar, Jermuk, and the regions of Vayots Dzor and Syunik. These photos depict typical acid drainage, with the alarm raised by the Stepanavan enlarged community administration.

It was an environmental crime to grant permission for mining operations in such a remarkable region as Stepanavan in the first place, especially by an unknown offshore company which exploited the deposit and abandoned it in 2015. This Cyprus-based offshore subsidiary 'Sagamar' had plans to conduct new explorations in the Lori region.

The Voraget River and all the irrigated areas are in great danger. It is worth noting that acid drainage is the dense solution shown in the images, which arises in open-pit mines and due to the high levels of sulfides, heavy metals dissolve hundreds of times faster and mix with surface and groundwater basins, seeping into the soil. This can last for decades or even hundreds of years."