Mining companies cause enormous damage to ecology of Chatkal district

Mining companies cause enormous damage to the ecology of Chatkal district. Vlad Ushakov, expert of EcoMiR Public Foundation, told at a press conference at 24.kg news agency.

«A recent example: Oriel Gold LLC is mining gold and is going to destroy 986 stems of endemic Persian mountain ash from Taktazan deposit. More than 100 red-listed Sievers apple trees at Bukur-Terek coal deposit are under threat of destruction,» he said.

Since the beginning of the year, the Public Foundation, together with scientists from the National Academy of Sciences Dmitry Milko and Adilet Usupbaev, has made three expeditions around Kyrgyzstan.

«There are many examples of systematic destruction of nature. For the sake of several kilograms of gold, mountains are dug up and turned into the surface of the moon. This picture is seen not only in Chatkal district. We are not talking about large mining companies that monitor compliance with all standards and bear social and other responsibilities. I’m talking about one-day firms. Uncontrolled mining of inert materials is everywhere — crushed stone, sand, gravel, sarytash, during which floodplain forests are destroyed, riverbeds are disturbed,» said Vlad Ushakov.

At the same time, according to the eco-activist, government services do not properly control either the quality of work or the mandatory restoration measures after they are completed.

So, at the end of 2020, according to the official data of the State Ecological and Technical Inspectorate, 1,153 hectares of uncultivated, abandoned land remained in Chatkal district. Reclamation was carried out on only 8 hectares in 2009-2010.