Kyrgyzstan Tackles Toxic Waste
Alisher Khamidov: 2/27/01
A EurasiaNet Partner Post from Transitions Online

BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan--The Kyrgyz Parliament recently passed a draft law on dealing with hazardous waste disposal sites located within the country. The draft law, passed on January 29, obliges the government to reduce the amount of waste production; to reinforce and properly secure the current containers and sites, some of which already pose a threat to the environment; to provide proper handling and storage of waste disposal containers; and to provide additional funding to nuclear waste disposal services.

There are approximately 50 sites in Kyrgyzstan containing about 60,000 cubic meters of waste products that were buried during the Soviet era, mostly from the mining industry. About half of these sites contain waste from nuclear production--an industry that most Kyrgyz citizens were not aware had existed on their territory because it was kept secret by the Soviet authorities.

The bulk of the nuclear waste is concentrated near the town of Maili-Suu in the Jalal-Abad province. The town's inhabitants have been aware of dangers posed by the waste sites for many years and have long voiced their concern to local officials. But for many ordinary people in Kyrgyzstan, the adoption of the legislation on toxic and nuclear waste sites came as a big surprise. Very few knew that there are 25 nuclear waste disposal sites in the country, which is supposed to be a non-nuclear state. "It's simply horrible. I never thought Kyrgyzstan had such sites," university instructor Mira Abdiraimova told TOL.

Local experts believe that if immediate and proper measures are not taken to update the containment measures of the waste sites, contamination could spread and have a disastrous effect on the environment. In Maili-Suu, the landslides and floods that tend to occur in the springtime pose a particular risk of uncovering the sites and causing toxic seepage. The passage of the law indicates that the authorities have acknowledged the situation, even though some charge it may be too little, too late.

In the meantime, the Kyrgyz media have not yet publicized the issue extensively, so public reaction has been muted. Overall, little is known as to how much money and resources the government will allot to take care of the dangerous sites.

The above story is reposted with permission from Transitions Online (TOL). TOL (http://www.tol.cz) is an Internet magazine covering Central and Eastern Europe, the Balkans, and the former Soviet Union. If you aren't already a member, you can fill out the registration form at <http://www.tol.cz/trialsubscr.html> to receive a free two-month trial membership. If you're a citizen of a post-communist country, FREE annual memberships are available at <http://www.tol.cz/trialsubscr2.html>.

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Posted February 26, 2001 © Eurasianet
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