A staffer at the Ministry of Nature Protection claims that they are aware of the problem at the Nubarashen toxic waste dump

Yesterday, Hetq Chief Editor Edik Baghdasaryan and Teghut Defense Committee activist Mariam Sukhudyan, held a joint press conference during which they stated that they had visited the toxic waste dump. The two stated that while, at one time, the dump had been covered with two meters of soil but now it is completely uncovered and that the rusting barrels and bags are in full view.

Aram Aghasyan, who heads the Natural resources Division at the Ministry of Nature Protection, commented that they were aware of the problem but that they lacked details since it was another agency, the Waste Department, which was responsible for the matter. Mr. Aghasyan noted, “The minister himself has visited the site, is informed, and is working on it.” Karineh Danielyan, the former RoA Minister of Nature Protection and now the Director of the “Sustainable Human Development Association”, noted that there are several toxic waste dumps like that at Nubarashen that have been abandoned  and are not being monitored. Ms. Danielyan adds that due to the actions of the “Armenian Women for a Healthy Environment” NGO, which brought the issue to the attention of various international organizations, the appropriate Armenian authorities also started to pay attention to the matter and work to enclose the Nubarashen dump was carried out last year. However, she notes that, just a few months ago, representatives of some NGO’s visited the site and witnessed how a tractor was driven into the site, churning up the earth and bringing all the waste to the surface. “But no one seems to care. Here, we’re dealing with a lack of cooperation, of internal coordination. This site is a part of the Yerevan environs but no one is aware about what’s going on. It’s an enormous looming threat. The entire area water table could be poisoned,” she noted.