DUSHANBE, October 19, 2010, Asia-Plus — The Ecology Movement of Uzbekistan (EMO) offers to set up a joint Uzbek-Tajik intergovernmental working group that would prepare new edition of the bilateral government-to-government agreement on improvement of ecological environment in the area of negative impact of the Tajik Aluminum Company (TALCO), Uzbekistan Daily reported on October 18.
EMO notes that the joint group must develop a special interstate program for in-depth analysis of processes of negative impact of emissions from Tajik aluminum smelter on the environment and population’s health in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan in order to improve the environmental and hygienic situation in the region.
Uzbek ecologists offer to enlist the services of independent international experts for conducting the environmental social impact assessment for TALCO in cooperation with Tajik and Uzbek specialists.
They consider that it is necessary to conduct the assessment in the trans-border context and prepare and solve issues related to financing of the project, The Program of Research and Technical Works on Ste-by-Step Reduction in Emission of Contaminants from TALCO with Regards to the Current Situation. They also suggest that technological processes and gas-cleaning units at the Tajik aluminum smelter should be modernized.
Uzbek ecologists recommend purchasing equipment for creation of automated system of control of content of anhydrous hydrogen fluoride and other contaminants in the air.
According to EMO estimates, environmental damage caused by TALCO to Uzbekistan in four years (1997, 1999, 2001 and 2003) amounts to 228.3 million U.S. dollars.
We will recall that TALCO management has reiterated that activity of the Tajik aluminum smelter meets all international norms of safety and no environmental impact cases have been reported.
