New Strategic Master Plan to Coordinate Remediation of Uranium Legacy Sites in Central Asia

A small number of local and regional remediation efforts have already taken place, but due to limited resources,  their aim has been to contain rather than clean up contamination. Preliminary remediation activities overseen by Rosatom have commenced in other sites in the region.

“The Plan will act as a roadmap to enable the best use of the limited resources available for remediation at national, regional and international levels by aligning these activities with explicitly stated and agreed goals,” said Michelle Roberts, a waste safety specialist at the IAEA in charge of the programme. 

The Plan will be regularly reviewed, re-evaluated and updated to accurately reflect the progress and priorities of the programme, she said.

Legacy of mining activities

The uranium mining sites were built in mid-1940s at a time when few regulatory provisions were in place for eventual end-of-life management. The sites were used for several decades, before being shut down in the 1990s. These mines, and the uranium processing infrastructure on the sites, still contain residues of radioactive and highly toxic chemical contaminants.

Average gamma dose levels at the sites range from 0.30 µSv/h to 4.0 µSv/h, which equals an exposure of between half an hour to four hours of average global natural background radiation. A number of factors could cause the contamination to spread and accumulate.

“Located in a seismically active region prone to earthquakes, landslides and floods, there will remain a risk of the release of contaminated material into the rivers until the sites are remediated,” said Baigabyl Tolongutov, Director of Kyrgyzstan’s State Regulation Centre of Environmental Protection and Ecological Safety.

A release on this scale could result in long-lasting restrictions on the use of water, leading to a major water shortage with consequences for people’s health and the economy, he said. It may also affect the stability and security in the region, particularly if radioactive or toxic materials were to be transported across borders.

United Nations resolution

The need for a coordinated approach to remediation was recognized in 2013 by a United Nations General Assembly resolution emphasizing the responsibility of the international community in averting the radiation threat in Central Asia. Addressing the legacy of past uranium mines is also instrumental to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, Tolongutov emphasized. “The remediation programme will contribute to long-term socio-economic developments by developing skills and increasing employment.”

The SMP has been developed by the IAEA Coordination Group for Uranium Legacy Sites Secretariat, which is co-funded by the European Union.