Environmental specialist Lilik Simonyan said today that the shifting of land at the Nubarshen toxic waste site not only hasn’t stopped but that it could get worse. "The site has just gotten heavier with the 500 tons of soli they have dumped there. They have filled the place with sand and cement. But the main cause of our concern remains; the site is unstable," said the expert.

Mrs. Simonyan, President of the Armenian Women for Health and a Healthy Environment, NGO, argues that the toxic materials must be disposed of properly overseas. "There is no piece of equipment that can do the job without polluting the environment. Burning the stuff just creates new toxic molecules that are risky. These too must be neutralized."

The cost of disposing of the toxic wastes is a costly process, whether done in Armenia or overseas, and the Armenian government just doesn’t have the resources needed. The OSCE promised to assist financially, but even the amount cited by the organization isn’t fully adequate. The Armenian government this year allocated 32 million AMD to neutralize the site but Mrs. Simonyan’s group has been raising the Nubarshen issue for many years. She told Hetq that the slow pace of the government amazes her and that she has urged the authorities to take swifter action to locate other sources of international financing. "It’s still hard to say how much money is needed to complete the job. The site must be excavated to see whether the materials have mixed together. If so, they must be separated out," says Mrs. Simonyan․

She said that after she and her colleagues visited the site this year, they felt ill. Armenian Prime Minister visited Nubarshen on July 6 and stated that further study is needed before a decision can be made regarding a permanent solution.