Uranium Dumps of Kyzyl-Zhar – 12
In the village of Kyzyl-Djar-12 in the city of Tash-Kumyr, uranium was mined during the Soviet era. This led to a high degree of land degradation around the village, an increase in desertification processes, and deforestation. The lack of positive practices for combating land degradation and proper pasture management resulted in an annual increase in the strength of dust winds and storms during the summer, with exposure dose rates ranging from 20 to 210 µR/h from the territory of the former uranium mine. The total area of the site is 22.7 thousand m².
There are two tailings piles on the site with a volume of 37 thousand m³, which have not undergone reclamation work and have not been sealed. The area where the tailings and old infrastructure are located, covering 4 hectares, is fenced with a metal mesh.
Additionally, there is a large amount of acid in the tailings storage facilities, which can leak into water streams, creating ecological consequences and affecting human health. All of this has raised concerns among the residents of the village. In the area of the former uranium mine and uranium tailings storage in the village of Kyzyl-Djar-12, there is a problem of land degradation. To restore the vegetation cover and prevent the dispersion of uranium particles into the village, we decided to install a fence on one hectare of the uranium tailings. Furthermore, activists and local authorities have planted tree saplings to stabilize the soil.
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