RATIONALE

The Kyrgyz Republic and the whole region of Central Asia have large mineral resources that have been mined in the past and that are still being extracted on a large scale. Long sustained and intense mining and ore processing operations (uranium, Th-REE, Hg, Sb, base metals, gold) during a period when little attention was paid to the environmental impacts of these activities have in many areas being endangered or significantly contaminated by harmful emissions. These areas of pollution are a great burden for the environment and also a major danger to the health of the population, not only in Kyrgyzstan but also in the neighboring areas of Uzbekistan (Fergana valley) and in Kazakhstan. The leakage of radioactive residues and toxic heavy metals from unstable or poorly engineered waste piles and tailings ponds constitute the major dangers to the environment. Seismic activity in the Tien Shan is a factor that, when added to natural instabilities of the steep topography and the high energy of the drainage, can initiate rock avalanches and debris flows in the braided streams. These pose a serious hazard that can lead to catastrophic failure of the structures in which mining waste is stored.

 

A number of wider schemes and numerous individual projects for environmental management of waste remaining after mining and ore dressing operations have been worked on and supported by the government, United Nations and the European Union during the period following independence. The actions to be taken in order to minimize and remove the ecological burden, and for safe management of the wastes remaining after mining and ore treatment, together with the implementation of short, medium and long term measures for efficient protection of the environment have all formed part of the agenda. Monitoring and technical reconstruction of tailings ponds, construction of new waste disposal sites with high technical specifications, and securing of abandoned mines and waste tips have been among the priorities. Radiometric surveys have been specified for the systematic detection of all radioactive contaminants, so that the impacts of wastes from mining and ore treatment activities on local environment and human health can be minimized. Programs to assess and prevent the negative impact of ionizing radiation on the health of the population have been initiated, but a supply of modern instruments for analysis and measurements of radioactivity, and for clinical tests etc. are still in short supply.

 

It is evident that the Kyrgyz Republic does not possess adequate financial means to cope with the wide range of ecological and health issues with which it is faced, so that assistance from foreign agencies would be particularly appreciated by the Kyrgyz authorities.