Social and Economic Development in Min-Kush

1. Social and Economic Development in Min-Kush COUNTRY OFFICE 74, Kurmandjan Datka Str. Osh, Kyrgyzstan Phone +996 3222 28 759 +996 3222 56 837 E-mail: osh@acted.org MAIN OFFICE 33, rue Godot de Mauroy F-75009 Paris Phone +33 1 42 65 33 33 Fax +33 1 42 65 33 46 Website: www.acted.org BISHKEK OFFICE 101/1, Manas avenue Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan Phone +996 312694161 E-mail: biahkek@acted.org

2. Population: The population is 3760 of which 1887 women and 1819 men according to the official AO data. However, 2500 people are currently living in Mi-Kush while 1260 people have temporarily migrated Employed: 463 Unemployed: 940 Pensioners: 686 people School students: 700 students, among them 238 are primary school students Economic profile According to Min-Kush AO, 81% of the population in Min-Kush is poor,16% average and 3% rich. The residents of Min-Kush make their household income largely from livestock breeding, coal mining, dismantling abandoned houses for construction materials and selling metal collected from waste dumps. Small-scale income generating activities include handicraft, trade, confectionary and services (hairdressing, tailoring, and shoe-repair). Lack of financial means for developing small size enterprises; Poor access to financial institutions; Poor access to markets; Consequences: High level of unemployment and poverty; Dying industrial infrastructure; Migration of the specialists to other places; Social and Economic Situation in Min-Kush

3. Social and Economic Situation in Min-Kush Health Situation: Access to Medical Services and health care situation: There is a hospital, an ambulance station and a FAP Min-Kush. Nowadays there is no any assessment of the influence of the radioactive elements to the health of the local population in Min-Kush. Problem: • Baby bust, women mortality during delivery • Acute transmission of disease because of radiation; • Weak immunity and increased beriberi; • lack of qualified medical personnel; (absence of surgeon) • outdated medical equipment;

4. Social and Economic Situation in Min-Kush Polluted Environment • The Min-Kush area dumps contain waste from uranium mining conducted from 1958 to 1969. They now pose a direct threat to the environment of the Naryn region and the fertile Ferghana valley. The region is also threatened by landslides. A radioactive dump near the Tuiuk-Suu River is at risk of being flooded if a landslide blocks the river. Heavy rains and snowfalls in 2003-2005 contributed to triggering landslides. • There are four tailing sites located near the village of Min-Kush, including one containing 450,000 cubic meters of waste; two of these sites are very hazardous. According to the Monitoring Department of the MoES, the dangers are of category 1 and 2. • In Min-Kush people let their animals graze near the tailing dumps and use the milk, wool, and meat for their daily consumption and needs. They grow vegetables in their gardens and water them with tail dumps water. The soil is so poor, the pieces of land so small, and the reputation of the village so bad that trading agricultural products produced in the village is hardly seen by its inhabitants as an option for the future development of the village. • People usually do not aware of the real health hazard of tailing dumps and extract contaminated metal from the dumps and sell it to earn for livings, thus, destroying tumbledown dumps.

5. Contribution of the civil society and international community in solving problems of Min-Kush • 12-15 April, 2007 the Ministry of Emergency Situation of the Kyrgyz Republic and the OSCE conducted scientific practical conference regarding tailing dumps situation in Min-Kush. The result of the conference was creation of an International Coordination Group (ICG). • The main objective of the ICG is to coordinate activities of MOES, international donor organizations and local NGOs in solving of Min-Kush problems. It is comprised of the representatives from donors organizations, MOES, national and foreign research institutions, the Jogorku Kenesh and private sector. • On the 5th of October, 2007 the Prime Minister of the Kyrgyz Republic signed the regulation for “ratifying the ICG regulation to solve the problems connecting the placement of the tailing dumps located in Min-Kush”. To control implementation of its’ action plan, the ICG regularly conducts meetings. • 29.05.07. Bishkek. The first working meeting of the ICG was conducted in Bishkek to elect the chairman and secretary of the ICG and also approve its action plan. • The second official meeting was conducted in the form of the round table to elaborate the unique approach for solving issues of the Min-Kush population. It was conducted on the 28 of November, 2007. • 21.04.08. The third ICG meeting was aimed at approving the draft technical- economic base for rehabilitation and cultivation of the tailing dumps in Min-Kush. Representatives of the various organizations who work in Min-Kush made presentations concerning their activities conducted and results achieved. • 1-3 October 2008, Min-Kush. A field visit to Min-Kush was organized to get familiarized with the projects implemented by NGOs in Min-Kush and vizit tailing dump Tuyuk- Suu.

6. Project “Community based Social and Economic Development in Min-Kush” Main Objective: To promote social and economic development in Min-Kush Specific Objectives: • A. To support low income households, female-headed families and unemployed youth to launch small-scale businesses by training, practical consultation and providing access to micro credit sources. • B. To conduct research on coal mining potential in Min-Kush and circulate its findings among mining companies and businesses. • C. To support vocational training facilities in Min-Kush by providing consultation, training, curriculum update and equipment. • D. To strengthen local government structures by trainings on development planning, budgeting, and gender issues.

7. Project Main Components • Component 1: Support to low income households to launch small-scale income generating activities • Provision of Enterprise Development Funds (EDF) for marginalized households; • Capacity building of the EDF recipients; • Facilitation of the EDF recipients in developing their marketing channels. • Component 2: Research on coal mining in Min-Kush • Contemporary coal mining situation in Mink-Kush; • Areas for investment in developing the coal mining industry; • Marketing for coal mining; • Dissemination of research findings among interested stakeholders. • Component 3: Support to the Vocational Training Center in Minkush • VTC curriculum development; • Procurement of VTC equipment; • Linking the VTC with local businesses. • Component 4: Strengthen local government structures • Capacity building to AO staff and the SCC; • Village Development Plan; • Support to the Community Resource Center.

8. Recommendations for future • Protecting Environment: • Rehabilitation of the contaminated territories– rehabilitation of tailing dumps • Increase awareness of the communities regarding the health hazard from tailing dumps. • Provide security of people and livestock from tailing places by fencing the contaminated territory; • Assess the possibility to rehabilitate the Min-Kush environment by growing plants, contributory to improve the soil Economic development: • To elaborate the effective and realistic national programme of economical development in Min-Kush (coal mining industry, gypsum mining) • To support local entrepreneurs by giving lax credit • Assisting to local entrepreneurs in access to the market • Health Care • To assess the influence of the tailing dumps to the health of the Min-Kush people; • Building capacity of medical specialists by organization of consultations and trainings for the specialists; • Seasonal vitamin addition programmes; • Teach local people to treat the water from radioelement with the help of improvised means from plants growing in Min-Kush; • To assess the types of plants safe for consumption; • Organization of humanitarian aid for the local people; Social infrastructure: • Rehabilitation of social infrastructure (hospital, school, road and water supply systems)

9. Thank you for your attention!