Mailuu-Suu

Mailuusuu (Kyrgyz: Майлуусуу) is a mining town in Jalal-Abad Region of southern Kyrgyzstan. Its area is 120 square kilometres (46 sq mi), and its resident population was 22,853 in 2009.[1] It 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.[2] Uranium mining and processing is no longer economical, leaving much of the local population of about 20,000 without meaningful work.[3] The town was classified as one of the Soviet government's secret cities, officially known only as "Mailbox 200".[4]

Mailuu-Suu

Майлуусуу
Seal
Mailuu-Suu
Location in Kyrgyzstan
Coordinates: 41°14′45″N 72°26′53″E
Country Kyrgyzstan
RegionJalal-Abad Region
City Status1946
Area
 • Total120 km2 (50 sq mi)
Elevation
1,300 m (4,300 ft)
Population
 (2009)
 • Total22,853
 • Density190/km2 (490/sq mi)
Postal code
721100
Area code(s)(+996) 3744

Uranium mills
Main article: 1958 Mailuu-Suu tailings dam failure

The USSR left 23 unstable uranium tailings pits on the tectonically unstable hillside above the town.[5] A breached tailings dam in April 1958 released 600,000 cubic metres (21,000,000 cu ft) of radioactive tailings into the Mailuu-Suu River.[6] In 1994, a landslide blocked the river, which flowed over its banks and flooded another waste reservoir. A flood caused by a mudslide nearly submerged a tailings pit in 2002.[7] 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.[8]

The World Bank approved a US$5 million grant to reclaim the tailings pits in 2004,[7] and approved an additional $1 million grant for the project in 2011.[9] However, grave threats still persist.[10]

References
  1. "2009 population census of the Kyrgyz Republic: Jalal-Abad Region" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 August 2011. Retrieved 2011-08-10.
  2. Djenchuraev, N. Current environmental issues associated with mining wastes in Kyrgyzstan. Department of Environmental Sciences and Policy of Central European University, Budapest, 1999.
  3. Trilling, David (May 26, 2009), "Kyrgyzstan: Radioactive Legacy Vexes Bishkek", EurasiaNet, archived from the original on February 3, 2013, retrieved December 12, 2012
  4. Afifi, Tamer; Jäger, editors, Jill (5 August 2010). Environment, Forced Migration and Social Vulnerability. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 241. ISBN 9783642124167. Retrieved 30 December 2017.
  5. "Uranium in OshKyrgyzstan | Mailuu-Suu Legacy Uranium Dumps". Blacksmithinstitute.org. Retrieved 2014-01-30.
  6. Birsen, N.; Kadyrzhanov, Kairat K. (6 December 2012). Environmental Protection Against Radioactive Pollution: Proceedings of the NATO Advanced Research Workshop on Environmental Protection Against Radioactive Pollution Almati, Kazakhstan 16–19 September 2002. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 59. ISBN 9789400709751. Retrieved 30 December 2017.
  7. Sarah MacGregor (2004-02-04). "Finding a solution for uranium waste in Kyrgyzstan - OSCE Centre in Bishkek". Osce.org. Retrieved 2014-01-30.
  8. "Missing Controller". Blacksmith Institute. Retrieved 2014-01-30.
  9. "News & Broadcast - 28, 000 Inhabitants of Mailuu-Suu Valey [sic] 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.
  10. "Uranium in Central Asia: Poisoned legacy". The Economist. Retrieved 10 July 2015.
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