A final workshop of the Project „Improving the safety of tailings management facilities in Kyrgyzstan“ took place from 30 November to 1 December 2021 in Bishkek. The two-day event was attended by the management and specialists of the competent state bodies, tailings management operators, inspectors, international and national experts, representatives of non-governmental organizations, etc. with more than 60 participants.
The advisory assistance project „Improving the safety of tailings management facilities in Kyrgyzstan“ coordinated by the German Environment Agency and funded by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety aimed at strengthening the management capacity of the facility operators and authority inspectors working at/on mining tailings management facilities (TMFs) in Central Asia. The Project was carried out by NGO “Sustainable Development Platform” and the CAREC Country office in Kyrgyzstan.
The Project’s objective was to raise awareness to safety deficiencies and could be used by competent authorities and TMF operators to improve the safety level of TMFs. Moreover, also land use planning issues were in the scope of the project. By identifying risk zones (sanitary zones, vulnerable areas, for people living in risk zones), early warning can be provided, and for the protection of the environment, proposals are made to establish an early warning and early alarm system for river catchments that may have potential transboundary impacts on neighboring country In the framework of the project, the TMF Checklist for safety evaluation of individual TMFs has been acknowledged by all participants, tested, proofed and recommended as a sound practical tool to raise the safety of TMFs. With this method Kyrgyzstan has now tools and experience and would be now able to re-establish a high safety level towards TMF in their national regulatory system and a sustainable education in especially of TMF- inspectors. The project team together with the representatives of competent authorities (CA) has developed the policy recommendations for the Kyrgyz Republic to ensure sustainable use of project results and ensure the safety of TMFs in the future.