The remediation of uranium mill tailings has been discussed for over 10 years in Kyrgyzstan. In 2023, remediation of the four uranium mill tailings was started in the village of Min-Kush, which raises concerns of local residents.
The village of Min-Kush is located in Dzhumgal district of Naryn region. Nearly 4 thousand people live here, most of whom raise cattle.
There are four kindergartens, three schools, one hospital, one vocational school in the village and four uranium mill tailings nearby, Taldy-Bulak, Tuyuk-Suu, Kak and Dalneye.
During the Soviet period, Min-Kush had a status of an urban village. The town was founded upon the end of the World War II by order of Stalin. The USSR authorities explored Central Asian region in order to make a nuclear bomb, and built Min-Kush, which was funded directly by Moscow.
The village actively mined coal, and was full of life. In 1969, deposits were closed, while commercial reserves of uranium ran low. The ‘Orgtekhnika’ instrument-making plant was opened here to make hectographs, mechanical pencils, soft-tip pens, and refills of ballpoint pens.
After Kyrgyzstan gained sovereignty in 1991, many villagers moved to other regions of the country, and eventually 10 thousand population reduced half.
Old wooden houses and abandoned buildings still remind of the Soviet past now. Just like the health of villagers. According to Min-Kush medical workers, almost all villagers have hypertension, there are many patients with heart diseases. The possible reason could be high level of radiation exposure, according to them. Despite poor conditions, medical workers of the old hospital try to deliver medical care to patients.
In 2004, an earthquake happened near the Tuyuk-Suu tailing, which resulted in the crack under the mountain that was up to 5 metres long, and in the risk of a landslide. According to specialists, it can block the Min-Kush river bed and then it would flow into River Naryn together with the uranium tailings. This disaster could become the main problem in Central Asia.
Back then, the level of radiation exposure exceeded 120 micro Roentgen in 23 houses near Tuyuk-Suu mill tailing. And the government decided to move them and pay compensation to every household in the amount of 200 thousand Kyrgyz som.
In 2013, CIS started to implement the ‘Remediation of territories of states exposed to uranium mining’ programme. In 2023, Rosatom allocated funds for remediation of five mill tailings in the villages of Kadzhy-Sai and Min-Kush.
The issue of moving mill tailings to another site has been discussed for over ten years. The process of moving uranium mill tailings causes concern among local residents. Most of them are located higher than the village and when moved by road used by villages, hazardous substances could get to the village and cause harm, according to them.
“The road over there will be used for the transportation. My children use that road when they go to school. If it is hazardous, I don’t know what will happen to my children’s health. If they start the transportation, I will leave the village, but I don’t know where to go,” said 42-year-old Kumarbek Amanaliev, who grew up and lives in Min-Kush.
The news about moving uranium mill tailings scares not only him, but also all other villagers. Another villager, Samat Asanov, believes that the people do not have exhaustive information.
“A year ago, a meeting was held in a rural club and all villagers were invited there. There were even Russian ecologists and physicians. They suggested that Min-Kush residents should leave the place for two years. Where were we supposed to go for two years? How can it be possible?” he said.
The villagers established a board to control the transportation of uranium mill tailings. It consists of 17 people, including local residents, officers of aiyl okmotu and district-level agencies. They were in charge of safety of people.
Now, uranium mill tailings are being moved from Taldy-Bulak village to a safe site. According to the ministry of emergency, toxic substances are about to be moved out from Tuyuk-Suu in the short term. Officers of the ministry of emergency have repeatedly held public awareness-raising campaigns on no harm of the process of transportation.
“There will be no harm from moving the uranium mill tailings. Special vehicles will come from Russia. Neither the vehicle, nor the driver will go outside, everything will be controlled by buttons,” said Bakytbek Asankulov, officer of the ministry of emergency.
However, ecologists are not so optimistic about it and are not ready to argue that remediation of mill tailings would be absolutely harmless for the residents. Ecologist Rudbek Abdraev:
“It is impossible to move uranium mill tailings safely. For a start, we need to take a look at their project. Even when you cut bread, you leave crumbs. And I cannot say that the process would not affect the residents. It is not necessary to move the mill tailings, we need to expand the Min-Kush river’s bed,” said ecologist Rudbek Abdraev.
There are 92 mill tailings of toxic and radioactive substances in Kyrgyzstan. 36 of them are located in the town of Mailuu-Suu in the south of the country. Moreover, one fourth of all mill tailings contain elements of uranium, and the rest contain traces of radioactive rocks, heavy metals and cyanide. The total amount of toxic and hazardous substances is 2.9 million cubic metres.