Armenia’s COP17 ambitions clash with mounting pollution concerns

Images from the Armenian city of Kapan, where heavy rains sent unnatural orange-coloured streams through the streets, have once again drawn attention to a problem Yerevan has long preferred to keep in the background.

Preliminary reports suggest that the incident may be linked to the abandoned Kavart copper mine located near the city. But the orange water seen in Kapan is not merely a local emergency. It is a visible symptom of a much deeper environmental crisis connected to Armenia’s mining sector and the lack of effective ecological control.

Syunik has for years been one of Armenia’s main mining regions. Major copper and molybdenum enterprises operate there, and the area has repeatedly appeared in environmental reports, media investigations and statements by ecological groups as a zone of serious risk. These concerns are not raised only by Azerbaijan. Environmental activists and experts inside Armenia have also warned about the long-term consequences of mining activity in the region.

Heavy rainfall appears to have exposed what usually remains hidden: oxidised metal residues, mining waste and contaminated runoff. The incident raises a broader question about the real state of environmental supervision in Armenia’s mining areas.

The problem is no longer purely domestic. Several rivers flowing from Armenian territory are transboundary, and pollution from industrial zones can directly affect neighbouring countries.

The clearest example is the Okhchuchay River, which originates in Armenia and flows into the Araz. Azerbaijani specialists have repeatedly reported excessive concentrations of heavy metals in its waters, including nickel, iron, molybdenum, copper, manganese and cadmium. These were not minor deviations from acceptable levels, but serious and repeated signs of contamination.

The consequences have already been visible. In 2021, mass fish deaths were recorded in the Okhchuchay, including among species listed in Azerbaijan’s Red Book. Water and sediment samples showed high levels of heavy metal pollution.

Such contamination does not disappear quickly. Heavy metals accumulate in soil, enter food chains and can create long-term risks for human health. When polluted water is used for agriculture or household needs, the impact spreads far beyond one river or one town.

This is why the events in Kapan matter. The orange flows in the streets have become a powerful visual reminder of the warnings that environmental experts have been making for years.

The situation looks especially problematic at a time when Armenia is trying to present itself as an active participant in the global environmental agenda. Yerevan speaks about climate change, biodiversity, sustainable development and international cooperation. Yet these declarations sound far less convincing when the country fails to demonstrate effective control over pollution risks within its own territory.

Environmental responsibility is not measured by speeches or conference slogans. It is measured by clean rivers, transparent monitoring, strict regulation of industrial enterprises and readiness to accept responsibility for cross-border damage.

In this context, Armenia’s refusal to join the UN Economic Commission for Europe Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes, known as the Helsinki Water Convention, remains a serious concern. For a country with transboundary water pollution problems, staying outside such a framework raises obvious questions.

Azerbaijan has repeatedly brought the issue of Okhchuchay pollution to the attention of international organisations, including UN structures, European institutions and environmental bodies. Despite this, no real breakthrough has been achieved.

Now the Kapan incident has added a new layer to the discussion.

While Armenia promotes itself internationally as a responsible environmental actor, one of its key mining regions is once again associated with toxic runoff, abandoned industrial sites and weak ecological oversight.

This contradiction is particularly striking against the backdrop of Armenia’s plans to host COP17, the 17th Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity.

A country seeking to host one of the world’s largest environmental forums should be ready to demonstrate not only diplomatic ambition, but also practical responsibility. The pollution of the Okhchuchay, long-standing concerns over mining enterprises in Syunik, previous cases of fish deaths and now the orange streams in Kapan all create a picture that is difficult to reconcile with the image of an environmental leader.

The question is no longer whether Armenia can organise an international event.

The real question is whether it is prepared to confront the environmental problems it has allowed to accumulate for years.