Two toxic uranium sites in Kyrgyzstan turned into safe, livable areas

BISHKEK -- Two once-toxic uranium legacy sites in Kyrgyzstan are now safe and usable, thanks to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

Workers finished remediating the sites recently, according to a Monday (March 28) statement by the EBRD. The sites now will be sustainable for years to come -- a major environmental benefit to Central Asia.

The workers completed the project on schedule and below budget despite the COVID-19 pandemic. The Environmental Remediation Account for Central Asia (ERA) funded the remediation.

Preparatory work on the two sites began in 2019, according to the EBRD. Kyrgyz authorities certified completion of remediation of Shekaftar and Min-Kush in December 2021 and February 2022, respectively.

Shekaftar, a village of about 3,700 residents in Jalal-Abad province, near the Uzbek border, was founded in 1944.

Most of the mining sites were situated in the village, near residential areas. Remediation teams closed mine openings, removed waste-rock dumps, and demolished and disposed of mining facilities.

They also built a bridge, roads and a pipeline that will provide badly needed water.

Min-Kush, Naryn province, is situated about 130km south of Bishkek. It suffered economically from the discontinuation of uranium mining in the late 1960s but still has about 3,200 residents.

Workers reduced the risks of past uranium mining to residents by demolishing the former ore-processing plant. The town now has clean, flat surfaces suitable for community purposes, which will help attract tourists.

Work on another Kyrgyz legacy site is expected to start this year.

Past abuses

Soviet miners who paid no attention to environmental problems placed radioactive material in waste dumps and tailing sites, endangering the environment and public health.

Hazards include water pollution, which endangers farming.

Central Asia has about 1 billion tonnes of toxic uranium tailings, according to a 2017 European Union (EU) estimate.

Another former Soviet republic scarred by uranium mining, Tajikistan, has expressed concern about the presence of enough left-over uranium at its tailing dumps to enable the manufacture of "dirty bombs".

The ERA, established in 2015 at the initiative of the EU and managed by the EBRD, cleans up the legacy of Soviet uranium mining in Central Asia.

Its donors include the EU, various European countries and the United States.