Mailuu-Suu
| Mailuu-Suu Майлуусуу | |
|---|---|
  Mailuu-Suu Location in Kyrgyzstan | |
| Coordinates: 41°15′36″N 72°26′59″E / 41.26000°N 72.44972°E | |
| Country |
 Kyrgyzstan |
| Region | Jalal-Abad Region |
| Elevation | 1,300 m (4,300 ft) |
| Population (2009) | |
| • Total | 16,953 |
Mailuusuu (Kyrgyz: Майлуусуу) is a mining town in Jalal-Abad Region of southern Kyrgyzstan that has been economically depressed since the fall of the Soviet Union. From 1946 to 1968 the Zapadnyi Mining and Chemical Combine in Mailuu-Suu mined and processed more than 10,000 short tons (9,100 t) of uranium ore for the Soviet nuclear program.[1] Uranium mining and processing is no longer economical, leaving much of the local population of about 20,000 without meaningful work.[2]
Uranium mills
The USSR left 23 unstable uranium tailings pits on the tectonically unstable hillside above the town.[3] A landslide in 1958 released 6,000 cubic metres (1,600,000 US gal).[4] In 1994, a landslide blocked the Mailuu-Suu River, damaging a waste reservoir, and a flood caused by a mudslide nearly submerged a tailings pit in 2002.[5] Mailuu-Suu was found to be one of the 10 most polluted sites in the world in a study published in 2006 by the Blacksmith Institute.[6] The World Bank approved a US$5 million grant to reclaim the tailings pits in 2004,[5] and approved an additional $1 million grant for the project in 2011.[7] However, grave threats still persist.[8]
Coordinates: 41°15′36″N 72°26′59″E / 41.26000°N 72.44972°E
References
- ↑ Djenchuraev, N. Current environmental issues associated with mining wastes in Kyrgyzstan. Department of Environmental Sciences and Policy of Central European University, Budapest, 1999.
- ↑ Trilling, David (May 26, 2009), "Kyrgyzstan: Radioactive Legacy Vexes Bishkek", EurasiaNet
- ↑ "Uranium in OshKyrgyzstan | Mailuu-Suu Legacy Uranium Dumps". Blacksmithinstitute.org. Retrieved 2014-01-30.
- ↑ Archived December 9, 2012, at the Wayback Machine.
- 1 2 Sarah MacGregor (2004-02-04). "Finding a solution for uranium waste in Kyrgyzstan - OSCE Centre in Bishkek". Osce.org. Retrieved 2014-01-30.
- ↑ "Missing Controller". Blacksmith Institute. Retrieved 2014-01-30.
- ↑ "News & Broadcast - 28, 000 Inhabitants of Mailuu-Suu Valey in the Kyrgyz Republic to Benefit from Improved and Safer Access on the Road to Villages". Web.worldbank.org. 2011-06-09. Retrieved 2014-01-30.
- ↑ "Uranium in Central Asia: Poisoned legacy". The Economist. Retrieved 10 July 2015.