When visiting Kara-Keche, a field where coal is mined, one can observe that the water flowing from the glaciers is no longer transparent but black, and the pine trees are gradually drying up. Despite numerous attempts by local residents to draw attention to this issue, they have yet to achieve any results.
In this material, we will tell how the ‘black gold’ of Kyrgyzstan destroys the environment.
Kara-Keche is a coal field located in Naryn region, 40 kilometres away from the centre of Zhumgal district. Discovered in 1930, it is situated on the northwestern shore of rivers Tokson-Teke and Kara-Keche at an altitude of 2800 metres above sea level. The coalfield is 52 kilometres long, 15 kilometres wide, and its area is 785 square kilometres. The coalfield belongs to the villages of Baizak and Bash-Kuugandy.
Currently, in addition to ‘Kara-Keche’, a branch of the state enterprise ‘Kyrgyzkomur’, the coal is mined by companies ‘Akzhol’, ‘Demilge’, ‘Burana Plus’, and ‘Sharbon’, as well. ‘Kara-Keche’ company is engaged in coal mining in the central area. Residents of the villages of Baizak and Bash-Kuugandy showed the editorial staff the place where waste is dumped and expressed dissatisfaction with the change in the colour of the water flowing from the glacier.
One of the locals told us they appealed to the authorities but to no avail. According to the villagers, the once-green pastures are disappearing, and the pine trees are drying up year after year. They complain that while open-pit coal mining at Kara-Keche is one of the primary energy sources for the state, it is completely destroying the local environment.
“The water has been blocked and turned into a reservoir”
Talgat Moldaliev, resident of Baizak village, deputy of aiyl kenesh [local council], said that the major environmental issue is the condition of water and pastures at Kara-Keche. According to him, the river has changed its course and colour, and the field is being contaminated by water with harmful substances.
“They say the Boz-Aigyr pasture has been transferred by the forestry agency [state agency] to Kara-Keche. Since then, our pastures have shrunk. There’s also a severe water shortage. Currently, the water level has increased slightly due to precipitation, but even so, there is not enough water for irrigation as it has been blocked. People’s problems remain unsolved. Over there, a part of the mountain has collapsed and blocked the water. Grass and wheat are growing poorly. Before, we used to have good harvests. We’ve been talking about this for three years now, but there has been no progress,” he said.
In 2022, the department of environmental monitoring of Issyk-Kyl regional office of the Ministry of Natural Resources performed a chemical laboratory test of wastewater. It was inferred based on the results that the composition of water in mining areas, where ‘Kara-Keche’, ‘Demilge’, ‘Sharbon’, and ‘Ak-Zhol’ were operating, was unsatisfactory.
Moldobek Egemberdiev, a resident of Baizak village, was engaged in cattle raising here until 1990. According to him, the pastures used to be in good condition, but in the last 3-4 years coal waste has been dumped everywhere. This has contaminated water, and the enclosed water has turned into a reservoir.
“Our pastures are shrinking. Water access is restricted. Companies are dumping all their waste. It was better until 2020. In the last three years, the village does get the water. They installed a pipe here to deliver water to their place but there is no water on the other side. As you can see, the puddles are here and there,” he said.
Conflicting orders
In 2023, Akylbek Zhaparov, the chair of the Cabinet of Ministers, visited the central site of Kara-Keche coalfield and handed over heavy machinery required for ‘black gold’ mining. Zhaparov reminded that technical and environmental requirements must be strictly followed during mining operations.
Deputy of Baizak aiyl okmotu Meerim Moldalieva said that she has repeatedly appealed to relevant agencies regarding the coalfield.
“They mine coal whenever they want to. And the winter pasture of Kara-Keche has been degraded. The head of aiyl okmotu has transferred the lands of Boz-Aigyr pasture to ‘Kyrgyzkomur’ without the consent of local council members. In less than a year, Boz-Aigyr was overwhelmed by waste, and now they are contaminating the water as well,” she said.
“Moreover, they have blocked the road to shepherds. Baizak residents are not interested in closing the minefield. We only want that state enterprise ‘Kyrgyzkomur’ to follow the rules of environmental and technical safety. 1050 hectares is not a small plot. In addition to damaging the soil layer, they cause the pine trees to wither. There were two spring in Boz-Aigyr, but now the water is being absorbed by the waste leading to landslides,” Moldalieva said.
Moldalieva, referring to the demise of ecological system at Kara-Keche pasture, has filed a complaint about the branch of ‘Kara-Keche’ and about companies ‘Akzhol’, ‘Demilge’, ‘Burana Plus’, and ‘Sharbon’ to the Environmental and Technical Supervision Service.
She wrote in the complaint that the waste is being discharged all the way to the lower reaches of the water flowing from Kara-Keche, Boz-Aigyr and Tokson-Teke gorges. Moreover, it was noted that the environmental passport of the branch of ‘Kara-Keche’ failed to specify the water protection area.
The Environmental and Technical Supervision Service turned down the audit with reference to the decree “On temporary prohibition on audit of business entities”,
On January 9, President Sadyr Japarov signed a decree “On temporary prohibition on audit of businesses” to further development of the entrepreneurial environment.
In 2021, the president signed a decree “On efforts to ensure environmental safety and climatic sustainability in Kyrgyzstan.” It states the need to ensure environmental safety, preserve the health of the nation, and protect the country’s natural resources for the benefit of present and future generations. Besides, it highlights and importance of improving the environment and reducing climate risks.
A scandalous field
An open-pit mining method is used at Kara-Keche coalfield. The region has repeatedly faced various incidents. Moreover, conflicts often arise here in relation to social and political issues, including cases of firearms use.
In September 2020, a large landslide occurred on the Dyikan-Kara-Keche road. Its volume was 900 thousand cubic metres. The landslide blocked the glacial stream, damaged power lines, and isolated the motor road.
In October 2020, the coalmine was reported to be seized by a group of people. State-owned enterprise ‘Kyrgyzkomur’ linked this seizure to the criminal authority Murat Kadyrkulov known as ‘Sayak’. Over half a million som (about 6,200 dollars at the 2020 exchange rate) received as profit were reportedly stolen from the branch’s cash office.
In October 2021, a special forces unit of the State Committee for National Security, ‘Alpha’, was deployed to protect the coalmine. Armed guards were stationed at the cash desk and a weigh station. However, tensions escalated in December when a shootout erupted between coal truck drivers and ‘Alpha’ staff.
In November, a landslide struck the Kara-Keche mine again. Its volume was 50 thousand cubic metres and it buried an excavator. The driver was not inside the machine at the time.
In 2022, a new landslide was reported at Kara-Keche. The state-owned enterprise ‘Kyrgyzkomur’ said its volume was about 30-40 thousand cubic metres of earth.
“In case of an investigation, violations of the law would be revealed”
The villagers demand to close companies ‘Sharbon’ and ‘Akzhol’ engaged in coal mining in the upper zones of Tokson-Teke gorge at the Kara-Keche coalfield.
Locals say that the waste disposal sites are overflowing, and these companies have started dumping waste on the road, and even in waterways.
“We are against this open pit, and it must be closed. They have dumped waste in the gorge we were waking through. As you can see, there are pine trees and other debris floating in the water. They have even removed the bridge the shepherds were using,” rural activist Zhenishbek Saparov said with fury.
Adilet Usupbaev, a research fellow of the Academy of Sciences of the Kyrgyz Republic, said that there had been no complaints related to the environmental issues at Kara-Keche from any relevant service before. He pointed out that ecology at Kara-Keche has gotten much worse and added that violations of the law would be revealed in case of an investigation.
“In 2019, I visited Kara-Keche. Back then, I noticed a lot of environmental issues. We reported them to the relevant services. Currently, I do not know if any measures are being taken. If we receive a complaint, we’ll gather the experts and carry out an inspection. According to the rules, every company engaged in mining operations must undergo an environmental impact assessment. The assessment checks the condition of trees, animals, water and other natural environment components. It analyses whether they can restore the environment, and only then they get a license. If we investigate how companies operate at Kara-Keche, many violations of the law would be revealed. Every company must restore the territory after the mining operations,” he said.
However, the state-owned enterprise ‘Kyrgyzkomur’ does not agree with the statements of the residents. The organisation said to the editorial staff that all rules were followed strictly during coal mining. Moreover, they said that they transferred money to the republican budget every year to compensate for the damage caused to the environment, yet they failed to mention the exact amount.
Neglecting the rules
According to the law of the Kyrgyz Republic, the ‘Safety regulations for open-pit operations’ were approved. Paragraph 14 of the document requires bringing the damaged land plots to usable condition.
Additionally, paragraph 35 requires that waste and garbage be disposed of in the areas that will not block the underground water flow.
Moreover, paragraph 46 clearly outlines the safety rules for environmental protection.
Now, let’s compare the changes in Kara-Keche district with the help of the Google Earth for 2019 to 2023. As we can see on the map, the ecosystem of the region has changed dramatically. Many green spaces have been destroyed, while water sources became blocked.
Head of the office for mining industry supervision of the Environmental and Technical Supervision Service Zhyrgalbek Muratov said that they cannot carry out inspections due to the president’s decree banning business audits.
“This year, the residents filed their complaints again, but the ministry of economy did not permit to carry out the inspection. As to the previous landslides, we conducted relevant inspections and imposed proper penalties. Now we want to carry out a routine inspection, but we face the limitations,” Muratov said.
The coal reserves at Kara-Keche coalfield are estimated at over 400 million tonnes. ‘Kara-Keche’ company has received a license for coal mining in the southern and western parts of the coalfield until 2042. On the average, the company mines 1 million tonnes of coal per year.
In January 2023, the Environmental and Technical Supervision Service audited the operations of ‘Sharbon’, which is engaged in mining operations at Tokson-Teke gordge in Kara-Keche. According to article 243 of the Code of Offences, a fine was imposed on the company in the amount of 28 thousand som (about 316 dollars at the 2023 exchange rate) and a warning was issued.
In September 2023, the coal-mining branch of ‘Kara-Keche’, as well as ‘Akzhol’ and ‘Sharbon’ were inspected. The total amount of fines was 334 thousand som (about 3,795 dollars at the 2023 exchange rate).