Uranium Mill Tailings at Mailii Su, Kyrgyzstan

(last updated 14 Sep 2004)

Between 1945 and 1968, uranium was mined and milled at Mailii Su in Southern Kyrgyzstan. In addition to local ores, uranium ores from Eastern Germany, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, and China have been processed. After the shutdown of the operations, two mills, eight waste rock piles and 23 tailings ponds were left over. The total mass of the uranium mill tailings contained in these tailings ponds amounts to 2.3 million tonnes.

Although the larger ones of these tailings deposits have been covered with gravel and clay, most of them present considerable environmental hazards:

• it is most likely that landslides will destroy some of the tailings deposits within the next few years, causing the release of the tailings material into the nearby stream,
• a number of smaller tailings deposits is subject to flooding hazard from the nearby stream,
• the drainage systems initially installed with the tailings deposits are no longer functional,
• there are no access restrictions, and the surface of the deposits is being used for pasture.

> Start here for a guided tour of the uranium mill and mill tailings sites of Mailii Su (in English, posted with permission).

> View full report by Gerhard Schmidt (in German , posted with permission)

A Russian language hardcopy version of the full report (without photographs) can be obtained from the author Gerhard Schmidt, E-mail: g.schmidt [æt] oeko.de

> See also: Current Issues

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