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The felling of trees in Teghut has begun

by Armen Hakobyan

Published: Friday January 23, 2009

A bulldozer heads for the forest of Teghut. Armen Hakobyan for the Armenian Reporter

Alaverdi, Lori Province, Armenia -

The roar of the heavy bulldozer with laborers perched on it breaks the tranqility for a moment. They are traveling along the road that runs through the center of the village and disappears in the direction of the forest. Despite the desolation of winter, the forest landscape is simply miraculous.

"Day and night, it's the din of the heavy machinery and the dust. Fortunately it has snowed and the dust doesn't rise; there's only the din," says a man from Teghut who was granted anonymity to protect his job.

In this beautiful, miraculous corner of the southeastern part of the Lori province of Armenia, the mountains surrounding the village of Teghut are rich in copper. In the last few years, the Vallex Group, represented by Armenian Copper Programme (ACP), to whom the nearby Alaverdi coppermines and copper foundry belong, has been granted permission also to exploit the Teghut mine. The main owner of Vallex is Valeri Mejlumian, whose traces his origins to Alaverdi but is now a citizen of another country.

Several nongovernmental organisations are opposing the plans to exploit the mountain under the forest. The Armenian Greens' Union warns that 1,500 hectares of rare forests, flora and fauna will suffer irreparable damage as a result of the open-pit mining and refinement of copper concentrate, and the villages of Teghut and Shnogh will disappear altogether.

What do the local inhabitants think? What is happening now in Teghut? To find answers to these and other questions, the Armenian Reporter went to Alaverdi and Teghut.

20-25 hectares of forest have already been felled

Ruben Papoyan is the Vallex Group's point man in Teghut.

"At this time, preparatory construction work is taking place. This includes roadwork, water removal canals, forest felling works, and clearing of the area," he says. He explains that the company is taking precautions to avoid springs and rivers from flowing into the areas where there will be tailings dams, which will be reinforced bulwarks made of concrete.

The main mine is 6-7 kilometers away from Teghut, in the region called Dukanatsor. "At this time, no work is taking place at the mine," says Mr. Papoyan. "First we have to finish the construction work on the roads and tailings dams and then turn to the felling of the forest near the mine and also opening of the mine."

In addition to this, a factory for the production of copper concentrate will also be constructed. As far as the neighboring forests are concerned, Mr. Papoyan confirmed the announcemnt made earlier by ACP president Gagik Arzumanyan that their company has already felled 20-25 hectares of forest on the territories given to them in neighbouring Teghut. He clarifies that to date tree felling has taken place in the areas where water canals and high-voltage electricity pass or where concrete work for canals and bulwarks has taken place. "The felled trees are at the government's disposal, through Hayantar (the Armenian forest authority). We point out the areas through which we will construct roads, and the forestry commission announces a tender for the felling of the forest, and then commissions the felling to a company. In this case, to my knowledge, the chosen organisation carrying out the felling work is Karast," Mr. Papoyan says.

Mr. Papoyan says, "Exactly 357 hectares of forest will be felled during the entire mining and refining project. As for the 1,563 hectares being mentioned, that is the overall territory granted to our company of which, I repeat, the area to be felled is 375 hectares, throughout the 65-year duration of the project. In other words, it is calculated that, if 7 million tons of ore are extracted each year, the exploitation will last 65 years."

Those implementing this plan and its supporters continually stress that apart from everything else, the exploitation of the mine will ensure steady employment for local and neighboring villagers. According to data provided by Mr. Papoyan, at present 282 people, 92 from Teghut and 71 from Shnogh village, are employed at Teghut CJSC. It is envisioned that in the future, 900-1,100 jobs will be provided, in the case of full exploitation of the mine.

Every silver lining has a cloud

Village head Harutyun Meliksetyan notes that Teghut has 750 inhabitants in 200 households. "Today, the main source of employment for the community is the Teghut mine. Probably 70 percent of the able-bodied population is employed in it," he says.

"At present preparatory work is being undertaken. Roads are being constructed. Almost 100 people from our village are involved. People receive 60-90 thousand drams per month. In other words, the activities of that company directly give our village employment and wages. Almost 62 hectares of communal Teghut land - grasslands, arable land, and pastures - have been included in the production. Apart from that, almost 160 hectares of forests under community administration have also been included in the production. I can't say exactly what outcome this will have, but to my knowledge, the mentioned 160 hectares of forest will not be felled. The majority of it is within the sanitary zone and will not be felled."