Addressing the legacy of uranium mining in Central Asia
The abandoned Central Asian uranium mining and milling sites that once supplied the Soviet Union are in urgent need of rehabilitation owing to the large amounts of radioactive and toxic material contained in their waste dumps and tailing sites.
Many of the uranium deposits are located along tributaries to the Syr Daria River, which runs through the densely populated Fergana Valley. This is the agricultural centre of the region and is shared by the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Remediation of the polluted areas and containment measures are required to prevent local and cross-boundary contamination of land and waterways.
In 2015 the EBRD set up the Environmental Remediation Account for Central Asia to help finance work to reduce the threat that these sites pose to the environment and to the health of the local population in all three countries. The EU provided an initial €16 million to the fund and efforts are underway to secure pledges from other donors. In addition to creating the fund, the EBRD is engaged in policy dialogue with the Kyrgyz, Tajik and Uzbek authorities to create the legal environment required for remediation work to begin.