POLLUTION IN KAZAKHSTAN
One of the main current issues Kazakhstan faces is a high level of pollution.
As the site of the former Soviet Union's nuclear testing programs, areas of Kazakhstan have been exposed to high levels of nuclear radiation, and there is significant radioactive pollution. There are also 30 uranium mines in the country, which adds to the problem of uncontrolled release of radioactivity. Kazakhstan has sought international support to convince China to stop testing atomic bombs near its territory, because of the dangerous radioactive particles settling to the ground near Kazakhstan.
Kazakhstan also has a significant amount of air pollution. Acid rain damages the environment, not only within the country, but it also affects neighbouring countries. In 1992, Kazakhstan had the worlds 14th highest level of industrial carbon dioxide emissions, which totaled 297.9 million metric tons per year. In 1996, the total had dropped to 173.8 million metric tons.
Pollution from industrial and agricultural sources has also damaged the nation's water supply. In some cases, UN sources report that contamination of rivers by industrial metals is 160 to 800 times beyond acceptable levels. Pollution of the Caspian Sea is also a problem.
Due to the overall level of pollution, Kazakhstan's wildlife is now in danger. According to some current estimates, some areas of the nation will not be able to sustain any form of wildlife by the year 2015. 11 species of mammals and 19 species of birds and insects are already extinct in the areas where pollution is the most severe. As of 2001, 15 mammal species, 15 bird species, 5 types of freshwater fish, and 36 plant species are listed as threatened.
During the time that Kazakhstan was under Soviet control, the Soviet government conducted about 70% of all of its nuclear testing in Kazakhstan, mostly near the city of Semipalatinsk (now Semey) in the north-eastern area. Only in 1991 did the government of Kazakhstan put a stop to the practice. The testing grounds, and perhaps even underground aquifers (water-bearing layers of rock, sand, or gravel) are now highly contaminated. One of every three children born in the Semipalatinsk region has mental or physical defects, and about half of the population suffers from immune system deficiencies. This is due to the Soviet government not evacuating or warning nearby populations of the nuclear tests it was conducting.
As the site of the former Soviet Union's nuclear testing programs, areas of Kazakhstan have been exposed to high levels of nuclear radiation, and there is significant radioactive pollution. There are also 30 uranium mines in the country, which adds to the problem of uncontrolled release of radioactivity. Kazakhstan has sought international support to convince China to stop testing atomic bombs near its territory, because of the dangerous radioactive particles settling to the ground near Kazakhstan.
Kazakhstan also has a significant amount of air pollution. Acid rain damages the environment, not only within the country, but it also affects neighbouring countries. In 1992, Kazakhstan had the worlds 14th highest level of industrial carbon dioxide emissions, which totaled 297.9 million metric tons per year. In 1996, the total had dropped to 173.8 million metric tons.
Pollution from industrial and agricultural sources has also damaged the nation's water supply. In some cases, UN sources report that contamination of rivers by industrial metals is 160 to 800 times beyond acceptable levels. Pollution of the Caspian Sea is also a problem.
Due to the overall level of pollution, Kazakhstan's wildlife is now in danger. According to some current estimates, some areas of the nation will not be able to sustain any form of wildlife by the year 2015. 11 species of mammals and 19 species of birds and insects are already extinct in the areas where pollution is the most severe. As of 2001, 15 mammal species, 15 bird species, 5 types of freshwater fish, and 36 plant species are listed as threatened.
During the time that Kazakhstan was under Soviet control, the Soviet government conducted about 70% of all of its nuclear testing in Kazakhstan, mostly near the city of Semipalatinsk (now Semey) in the north-eastern area. Only in 1991 did the government of Kazakhstan put a stop to the practice. The testing grounds, and perhaps even underground aquifers (water-bearing layers of rock, sand, or gravel) are now highly contaminated. One of every three children born in the Semipalatinsk region has mental or physical defects, and about half of the population suffers from immune system deficiencies. This is due to the Soviet government not evacuating or warning nearby populations of the nuclear tests it was conducting.
A child who is mentally handicapped and has no nose (left)
in the Semipalatinsk region. He was born like this because
of exposure to radioactivity from nuclear testing done nearby.