Remediation work on the former uranium mine has been completed in Yangiabad, Tashkent province, the press service of the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change said.
The work was commenced in February 2024 with the support of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).
To date, a geodetic survey of the reclaimed areas has been completed, 850 m of access roads have been built, concrete and brick structures, as well as reinforced concrete structures, have been dismantled at all sites. A special landfill has been created for the disposal of contaminated concrete waste.
“A surface water drainage system has been built on the territory, a mine and adit have been closed, a trench has been set up for the infiltration of mine waters, and the buried waste and washed ore have been covered. Along the sites, the river banks have been reinforced, a protective layer has been laid on the damaged layers, and polypropylene pipes with a diameter of 1000 mm have been laid to drain mine water,” the Ministry of Ecology reported.
The site was visited by a state commission, which included officials of the Ministry of Ecology, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the Committee for Sanitary and Epidemiological Welfare and Public Health, the Committee for Industrial, Radiation and Nuclear Safety, the khokimiyat of the Yangiabad district of the Tashkent province and other responsible structures.
The Ministry stressed that labor protection and safety measures were abided by during the work to neutralize the uranium mines. As part of the project, the contractors also met with local residents and listened to their opinions and suggestions.
In 2022, a grant agreement with the EBRD was announced to support Uzbekistan in the remediation of uranium legacy sites - Charkesar (Namangan province) and Yangiabad. The amount of financial support was 7 million euros. In 2021, the EBRD, the European Union and a number of donor countries provided a grant of €2 million for environmental remediation of these areas - restoring the original soil, water or air parameters.
Remediation work at the former Charkesar-2 uranium mine was completed in August 2024. Yangiabad was a uranium mine for about 40 years, in Charkesar uranium was mined until 1995.
