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Within a short
distance of the Khaidarkan facilities
mercury contamination has been a problem for
70 years and
continues to be a challenge in some
instances. High mercury concentrations are
found in slag, sludge and tailings
from the mine. These may signifiantly
impact the town,
surrounding farmland, and natural waterways,
all of which show
elevated mercury concentrations, often
exceeding
Kyrgyzstan’s national standards.
Environmental protection is very limited,
and monitoring and reporting are inadequate.
Due to waste deposits and contaminated
agricultural soils, pollution will continue |
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even when
production stops.
Limited studies suggest human health may
have suffered in the
past, with some workers still facing higher
health risks today and children’s
neurological systems suffering damage. But
mercury’s global dispersal means that
concern over contamination in
Khaidarkan is much more
widely spread. Rivers which flow from
Kyrgyzstan to both
its neighbours, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan,
and the importance to all of them of the
fertile Ferghana Valley, mean
Khaidarkan’s shadow probably falls on
them as well. |
