Remediation work at legacy uranium mining sites in Uzbekistan is under way, bolstered by a €9 million grant from the Environmental Remediation Account for Central Asia (ERA)­ set up on the initiative of the European Union (EU) and managed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). This is the second Central Asian state, where such remediation activity under the ERA is taking place.

The grant funds will support work to close the identified mine openings, demolish derelict facilities that were used for uranium ore processing, and to re-cultivate selected waste rock areas at the Yangiabad and Charkesar mines.

The former site is 75 km east of the country’s capital, Tashkent. It has seven mines spread across the mountainous terrain around the town of Yangiabad. Once remediated, this area, known locally as the Uzbek Alps, will be environmentally safe, allowing livelihoods and tourism to flourish.  

The Charkesar-2 mine site is 140 km east of Tashkent and 60 km to the west of the city Namangan in the Fergana Valley. The contaminated area of approximately 25 hectares contains 5 already remediated waste rock dumps and two abandoned mine shafts. The existing water diversion channels on site are dilapidated.

The ERA has now allocated funding to remediate five out of seven high priority sites in Central Asia (three of which are in the Kyrgyz Republic and two in Uzbekistan). As well as the mandatory remediation and demolition works, the ERA-supported activity will help prevent toxic material from dispersing into the river system across the Fergana Valley, home to more than 15 million people.

The ERA was set up in 2015 on the initiative of the EU and is managed by the EBRD. It addresses the legacy of Soviet-era uranium mining in Central Asia. The EU is the ERA’s biggest donor, while contributions have also been made by Belgium, Lithuania, Norway, Spain, Switzerland and the United States of America.

Source: EBRD

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A joint session of both chambers of Kazakhstan’s parliament on Friday voted in favour of revoking this law, the Kazinform news agency reported.

“During a period of deep political transformations, when Kazakhstan is moving towards democracy and pluralism, it is important not to allow any mechanisms leading the appropriation of power by separate groups,” lawmaker Erlan Sairov said in parliament as quoted by Kazinform.

The move to revoke the law has come just months after Kazakhstan changed name of its capital from Nur-Sultan to Astana. The capital had the former name in honour of Nazarbayev.

After his decision to step down, Nazarbayev enjoyed a huge influence over politics and his clan retained control over swathes of country’s economy.

Last year, the country descended into chaos during January protests — which grew out of peaceful demonstrations over a spike in fuel prices — that left more than 230 dead. The protests were in part sparked by resentment over the rampant and lingering corruption from Nazarbayev’s rule.

Nazarbayev’s hand-picked successor Kassym-Jomart Tokayev violently suppressed the unrest and distanced himself from his former mentor, calling for a shift from “super-presidential” rule.

In recent months, several relatives of Kazakhstan’s 82-year-old founding leader have been removed from positions of power. 

Source: Wio News

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