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Kyrgyzstan suffering from uranium tailings pollution

Kyrgyzstan makes progress on toxic dumps but needs to do much more – UN expert  Web Newswire October 12, 2009

Kyrgyzstan has made progress in addressing the significant problems of radioactive and toxic waste dumps and in raising international awareness of the serious trans-boundary threats of contamination of groundwater and rivers, but much more remains to be done, a United Nations expert reported today.

“The social and economic impact of uranium tailings sites and other hazardous toxic waste dump sites on the local population has not been properly addressed,” UN Special Rapporteur Okechukwu Ibeanu said at the end of an 11-day visit to the Central Asian country.

Tailored measures need to be adopted to address the difficulties faced by local communities living in proximity of these sites, who often live in conditions of extreme poverty, he added, noting that the existing normative framework on chemicals and waste management is not effectively enforced, and responsible ministries and agencies do not possess sufficient human and financial resources to monitor implementation…………

Mr. Ibeanu’s purview embraces the adverse effects of the movement and dumping of toxic and dangerous products and wastes on the enjoyment of human rights, and he reports to the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council as an independent, unpaid expert.

Kyrgyzstan makes progress on toxic dumps but needs to do much more – UN expert | webnewswire.com

October 11, 2009 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | 1, Kyrgyzstan, wastes | antinuclear, cancer, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear wastes, radioactive, uranium, wastes