ArmInfo. The Armenian government has begun developing a strategy to reduce the negative impact of subsoil use on the environment. On December 4, RA Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Aviyan stated this in parliament, presenting the Government's response to the request of the Bright Armenia faction.
According to him, the priority for the government is not only to minimize the negative impact on the environment, but also to eliminate the possibility of illegal use of natural resources. "Our mining policy is aimed at increasing transparency, ensuring accountability to the public, and therefore, we have initiated the development of an appropriate strategy," he said.
Avinyan informed that in order to reduce the negative impact of subsoil use, the Government has initiated a number of programs aimed at the stable development of the industry. Regarding the impact of subsoil use on the health of the population, the RA Ministry of Healthcare periodically carries out the corresponding analysis of the data.
"The Ministry of Healthcare of Armenia applied to the World Health Organization (WHO) for methodological assistance, which will allow better assessing the impact of environmental factors on human health," he said.
The Deputy Prime Minister noted that the budget for 2020 provides for 413.8 million drams for reforestation. In addition, within the framework of the program, the implementation of which will be carried out with the support of international partners and donors, on October 10, 2020, it is planned to plant 10 million trees in Armenia. Avinyan also said that the Ministry of the Environment has drafted a bill amending and supplementing the Forest Code, according to which the concept of "industrial forests" will be removed. <Using appropriate equipment, the composition of mining waste was analyzed, their volume was estimated and the territory occupied by them. Work is also underway to study and inventory closed facilities and abandoned areas containing mining waste. In particular, the Madan burial ground near the city of Alaverdi was studied, and samples were taken for analysis>, Avinyan emphasized, adding that some new adjustments for subsoil users will begin to operate next year.