ArmInfo. The Iranian side is concerned about the pollution of the Araks River as a result of the work of the Agarak Copper and Molybdenum Combine. This was announced during the meeting of the First Deputy Minister of Nature Protection of Armenia Eric Grigoryan and the Deputy Minister of Energy of Iran Alireza Daemi on July 14 in Yerevan.
As the press service of the Ministry of Nature Protection of Armenia reports, the interlocutors discussed issues of short-term and long-term cooperation in the field of ecology. The Iranian side, in particular, touched upon issues related to the pollution of the waters of the Araks River as a result of the work of the Agarak Copper-Molybdenum Plant, and the timing of the introduction of a closed sewage collection system.
In this regard, the Deputy Minister of Nature Protection of Armenia stressed that water resources management can not be limited to one source of pollution. "The water resources of Armenia mainly flow into the Araks River, and the neighboring resources of the country are used for irrigation purposes and not only, which is quite remarkable on the background of a general shortage of fresh water," he said. At the same time, referring to the data on water quality monitoring, Grigoryan stressed the importance of carrying out similar work by the experts of the working group on the site out of the border with Armenia, to determine the amount of water intake and the level of water pollution.
Recall that in March 2012, Iran and Armenia decided to create a joint working group to study the level of pollution of the Araks River. The decision was made during a meeting between the head of the department for environmental protection of Iran Mohammad Javad Mohamadizadeh and the Minister of Nature Protection of Armenia Aram Harutyunyan in Tehran. The parties agreed to establish a working group to identify and prevent sources of pollution on both banks of the Araks River. Both sides signed an agreement on environmental issues.
In 2014, at a meeting in Tehran, the Minister of Nature Protection Aram Harutyunyan stressed that in order to prevent the discharge of dirty effluents into the river in the Zangezur Copper Molybdenum Combine, modernization work was carried out and appropriate investments were made. "Within the framework of the visit, we held effective negotiations with the Iranian side, and currently there is a joint working group that conducts monthly water analysis and reports on the work carried out," the minister added. Iranian Energy Minister Hamid Chichian said in his turn that an agreement has been reached, according to which the Armenian side will place the equipment for cleaning all production effluents of the copper-molybdenum combine in order to avoid them entering the Araks River.