KAZATOMPROM IS LOBBYING FOR IMPORTING NUCLEAR WASTE.

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.