Shekaftar

After the end of World War II , in the framework of the Soviet Atomic Project , active exploration of uranium and other radioactive elements was carried out in the Kyrgyz SSR ^[6] . In 1946, a uranium mine was launched at the Shekaftar deposit ^[7] ; in 1949, an urban-type settlement Shekaftar was formed near the mine ^[2] .

After the closure of the mine in 1957 ^[7] , the life of the village was mainly connected with the lead mine opened in Samsar in 1952, which worked until 1978. On the technical base remaining after the ore management, the Sumsar experimental plant Uralenergotsvetmet was opened, with its parent company in Sverdlovsk , which manufactured components for reciprocating compressors and consumer goods. With the collapse of the USSR and the destruction of economic ties between the former Soviet republics, the production, which was reorganized into JSC Tulpar, was left without the necessary funding and is not working at full capacity ^[2] .

Currently, due to its geographical location and, due to the mining crisis, which was the main activity for the residents of the village, Shekaftar is in an extremely difficult situation. The village mainly lives on financing from the republican budget, unemployment among the local population is 70%. The further development of the village is to a greater extent associated with the Terek-Saysky gold mine ^[5] .

In the vicinity of Shekaftar there are 8 dumps of low-radioactive rocks, the total volume of which is about 700 thousand cubic meters. m. Dumps are not reclaimed and are exposed to water and wind erosion , waste from some dumps also fall into the waters of the Sumsar River. In the immediate vicinity of the dumps are residential buildings, local residents use materials taken from the dumps for domestic purposes ^[8] . In 2005-2006, the village conducted a study of radiation risk to the environment, as part of the RESCA research project ^[7] .

In addition to rock dumps, in the village there is a uranium tailing dump , which stores radioactive and toxic waste, such as salts of heavy metals and reagents used in the processing and concentration of ores - cyanides , acids , silicates , nitrates , sulfates ^[9] . The tailing dump is one of the most dangerous for the region's ecology. The state of the tailing dump, erected several decades ago, is threatening, it was significantly affected by the effects of natural elements, and, in addition, it is in the zone of increased seismic activity ^[10] . An additional problem arises in connection with the location of the tailings in one of the most densely populated areas of the region, its destruction will pose a threat to all countries of Central Asia ^{[11] [12]} .

Since 1998, facilities associated with the storage of uranium production waste have been on the balance sheet of the Ministry of Emergencies of Kyrgyzstan, which is carrying out rehabilitation work at the expense of the Ministry ^[13] . In 2012, a number of international agreements were signed between the government of Kyrgyzstan and the European Union on the allocation of grants to finance projects related, inter alia, to the nuclear safety of the region. 1.5 million euros were allocated for the restoration of the uranium tailings in the village of Shekaftar ^{[14] [15]} .