Kazakhstan has accumulated 31.6 billion tonnes of industrial waste and more than 200 million tonnes of radioactive waste, environmental experts sayKazakhstan has accumulated about 31.6 billion tonnes of industrial waste and generates roughly 1 billion tonnes annually, according to the Central Asia Climate Change and Green Energy Project Office.About 70% of the total consists of technogenic mineral formations, including overburden rock and ash and slag waste, the office said Monday.Experts estimate that uranium mining operations have produced around 200 million tonnes of radioactive waste across the country.“The content of lead, copper, zinc and cadmium in soils around Ust-Kamenogorsk, Ridder, Zhezkazgan, Shymkent and Karaganda significantly exceeds permissible limits,” the statement said.The office also reported that areas contaminated by rocket fuel combustion products and falling rocket stages cover about 9.6 million hectares, while oil pollution in western Kazakhstan affects some 194,000 hectares, with more than 5 million tonnes of oil spilled.More than 22 billion tonnes of industrial waste have accumulated from nonferrous metallurgy alone, including about 4 billion tonnes of mining waste, over 1.1 billion tonnes of toxic beneficiation waste and 105 million tonnes of metallurgical processing waste, the experts said.Kazakhstan also faces widespread soil contamination from industrial and energy sector emissions, military-industrial activities, oil and petroleum products, and household waste, the office said, noting that many areas exceed safety limits for radionuclides, heavy metals and toxic substances.Solid waste management remains a major problem nationwide, with nearly all waste disposed of at landfills, 97% of which fail to meet sanitary and environmental standards, the office said. (ICE ALMATY)

Fonte notizia: INTERFAX