The IAEA to assist Tajikistan to remediate uranium legacy

Almaty. March 28. Silkroadnews – The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will assist Tajikistan to remediate uranium production wastes accumulated during the Soviet period, the Tajik Telegraph Agency (TajikTA) reports.

“The International Atomic Energy Agency will assist Tajikistan to secure the radioactive legacy of the former Soviet Union. This was reported during the IAEA’s Coordination Group for Uranium Legacy Sites (CGULS) visit Northern Tajikistan, where the country’s bodies of uranium tailings are located”, the IAEA site reports.

Representatives of the agency assessed the risks of radioactive elements residues to the public and the environment. In two weeks a number of sites were inspected in Degmay and Taboshar, from remnants of uranium extraction mills to other ancillary infrastructure. The indicative cost estimates are being prepared to remedy the situation.

Earlier it was reported that Russia would assist Tajikistan in securing uranium production wastes. At the end of last year Russia’s Federal Center for Nuclear and Radiation Safety of Russia delivered to the government of Tajikistan design and estimate documentation for the expert review on the Taboshar industrial site facilities reclamation.

During the Soviet Union, sites located in the north of Tajikistan mined and processed large amounts of uranium ore.