DUSHANBE, November 3. 2010, Asia-Plus – Tajikistan has the right to file a claim against Uzbekistan for causing negative impact on ecological situation in Sughd District, Shams Nazarov, Doctor of Chemistry and Head of Air Control and Protection Department of the Tajik Government’s Environment Protection Committee, has said.
According to him, more than two million residents of Sughd area of Tajikistan are affected by the activity of industrial enterprises operating on the territory of Begavat and Almalyk areas of Uzbekistan.
“We have conducted visual and analytical surveys on the territory of Spitamen and Matcha regions of Sughd District to estimate negative impact caused by industrial enterprises located in Bekabad and Almalyk mining and smelting factory. Bekabad cement producing factory has been developing a limestone mine (Khilkov mine) for production of cement and lime. As a result, Spitamen region which borders Uzbekistan polluted with waste products,” Nazarov has said.
Additionally, he said that these factories pollute atmosphere with cement, iron and non-organic dust, various fluid agents and strong organic dioxides.
“Due to specific wind rose in this area and taking into account sanitary and security zones of these objects, we have regular pollution in boundary areas on the territory of Tajikistan which are mostly being polluted with dust (especially cement dust and waste products from production of iron) and transboundary pollution of atmospheric air with fluid agents (carbon monoxide, nitric oxide, sulfurous anhydride, hydrocarbon and so forth),” he stressed.
Nazarov calls the Almalyk mining factory, and especially its tailing dump located close to Tajikistan’s border, to be the main factor that affects boundary areas of Matcha region.
“The factory emits 39 ingredients: dust, nitric oxides, sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide, sulfuric acid vapor, fluoric composits, plumbum, arsenic, benzoperen, molybdenum and zinc concentrates. 86,3% of the factory’s emissions, which made 111,912 tons in 2005, consist of sulfur dioxide. These emissions caused severe damage to forest reserves of the Karamazar forestry and cause severe impact on health of local population,” he said.
He also noted that Uzbekistan’s emissions make 28,7% (2,152mln tons) of the total volume of emissions in Central Asia region, while Tajikistan’s emissions make only 1,6% (0,12mln tons).
