Reports on Environment and Urban Development for Alaverdy

GEO ALAVERDI: ENVIRONMENT AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

It is obvious from diagram 3.3 that Alaverdi occupies a special place in terms of air pollution in the Republic, as there is no such exceedance of MACs in other cities.

Diagram 3.3 Comparison to the air pollution levels in several other cities of the Republic, 2008

One of the most signi fi cant air polluting sources in the city is the Armenia Copper Program CJSC, which produces copper and receives the fi rst level of environmental hazard. The raw material for the metallurgical plant is the copper ore mostly received from the Zangezur copper and molybdenum factory and “Baze Metalls” CJSC. The ore received by railroad is melt in a gas furnace to get the matte and slag. The granulated slag is washed into the sedimentation basin, from where the most part (70-80%) of the water runoff fl ows back to the production cycle by recycling system and the remaining small part fl ows to Debed River. After adding the melted quartz, cold supplements, copper casts (if any) and with insuf fl ations of compressed air to the converter, it is produced a pure copper. In order to evaluate the spread of sulfur dioxide, as the biggest pollutant of atmospheric air in Alaverdi, in the lower surface layers (up to 250m) a ”3D mathematical model” developed by Armenian State Hydrometrological Agency was used as an alternative method. By the way, it was observed in conditions of weak winds (dead calm or no wind) and by the priority directions, according to the wind rose, de fi ned for the given area by ArmStateHydromet. The following empirical values were received by MAC exceeding and wind rose calculations for sulfur dioxide emission zones and the borders thereof:

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CHAPTER 3: STATE OF THE ENVIRONMENT

Environmental Knowledge for Change