In Soviet times, not much information on damage to the environment caused by industrial growth and nuclear testing was available for public information. Such information was classified and banned from public view. Unawareness of the dreadful effects on the environment contributed to the idea of people being the masters of the nature who must extract and transform its “unlimited resources” for their own benefit. 

Unfortunately nature did not make people wait long for its response to such an aggressive human attitude. Soon, people were faced with the Aral Sea disaster, the Chernobyl catastrophe and the genetic mutations caused by decades of nuclear testing in Semipalatinsk. Although Kazakhstan halted nuclear testing and got rid of all nuclear warheads in the years following the Soviet collapse, the effects of the Semipalatinsk nuclear explosions will be felt for centuries. “Delovoye Obosreniya”, one of Kazakhstan’s weekly newspapers, reports the amount of radioactive wastes is 237 million tonnes, which equals one third of the amount found in Chernobyl.

The average dose of radiation in Kazakhstan exceeds the world level several times. There is no region in Kazakhstan that was not affected by radiation, or where radiation levels are normal. Radiation has accumulated in the soil, in the water, and in the bodies of the people. Along with the harmful effects of the Semipalatinsk polygon, the opencast uranium mines stand out as a significant factor contributing to the nuclear pollution of the country. Uranium mines contain high levels of radiation and when left open, exposed to plain air, they severely pollute the atmosphere. 

Kazatomprom, Kakakhstan’s national atomic energy concern headed by Mukhtar Djakishev, claims that it has found the solution to the problem. For several months, Kazatomprom has been lobbying the proposal on importing the radioactive wastes from foreign nuclear power plants and storing them in opencast uranium mines in the Manghistau region of western Kazakhstan. In the words of Djakishev, if low-radioactivity wastes  (such as protective clothing and some other materials from nuclear power plants) are buried in uranium mines and covered with soil the surface of the storage area will have minimum radiation levels. Presenting the proposal before Kazakh parliamentarians, Djakishev reported that the project would allow Kazakhstan to earn $30-40 billion over a period of 25-30 years. The money raised can then be spent on clean-up operations in nuclear-polluted areas of the country. Finances that are directed from the republican budget for these purposes are around $1 million while the preliminary calculations estimate that $1,110 million are required to process the wastes.

Kazatomprom was encouraged by the example of Russia, where special legislation permitting the import of high-radioactivity wastes had been already passed. Mr. Djakishev assures that no harm will be caused by the storage of radioactive wastes, which will only benefit and profit Kazakhstan. As many environmentalists NGO activists point out, the race for such big money might limit the officials to see the shortcomings of the project and its consequences. They profess that if the importat of nuclear wastes is authorized, Kazakhstan might soon be referred to as an international dumping site. NGO associates draw attention to the fact that the project contradicts Kazakhstani legislation, which prohibits the import of such waste.

NGO activists emphasize the fact that there is no mention in Kazatomprom’s project on what specific governmental agency is going to carry out the project, and it does not speak about the environmental impact assessment of the project nor of the assessement of the wastes coming to the country for storage (to avoid importation of high-radiation wastes and to ensure the safety of the procedure). Moreover, NGO members point out to the lack of an exact and detailed account of government spending. They have very little trust that the finances from nuclear wastes imports will indeed be used for cleaning up polluted regions as is promised. NGOs are trying to convince Kazakhstani officials that for the near future Kazakhstan, should concentrate on coping with the casualties brought by nuclear testing in the Semipalatinsk area and that imported wastes will only deteriorate the already difficult situation with the country’s nuclear pollution. Despite their active role in addressing the Kazakhstani authorities and people, environmentalist NGOs have very little pubic support. Part of the reason, as the contributor to APR (Agency for Political Research) S. Jumagulov identifies, is that Kazakhstani people are primarily concerned with socio-economic issues and pay very little attention to ecological problems.

Despite its vital importance, the issue rarely gets attention in the local mass media. The information which does appear in newspapers is not exhaustive and often covers the issue inadequately. Public access to that kind of information is very constricted. With limited information, people are not able to take active part in decision-making on the problem.  Such a closed-door discussion and executive on the matter reminds of the Soviet way of managing ecological problems. Unless claims of a democratic orientation have petered out, it is unacceptable for Kazakhstan to keep a Soviet-style decision-making process. It is necessary to attract representatives from different governmental institutions and non-governmental organizations to discuss and come to the agreement on the issue that will definitely affect the lives of several generations.  

Maria Utyaganova, student, International Relations Department, American University in Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek.