The future of
the mine, the smelter and ultimately the
town of Khaidarkan
itself largely depends on how mercury
production can be replaced with other
economic activities. Sustaining people’s
livelihoods beyond cinnabar mining
and processing will be the main
objective and here the UN
project and the Kyrgyz action plan
have sketched out potential solutions:
Gold
mining
Given the history of the area, existing
experience and
skills, and technical equipment in place,
activities related to extraction of other,
less hazardous minerals, appears to be a
real option. This is recognized in the
Country Development Strategy of the Kyrgyz
Republic for 2009–11
that prioritizes the development of gold
mining and
production. There are many gold deposits in
southern Kyrgyzstan
that were considered technically challenging
during Soviet times and therefore not
further developed.
With new technologies in place, their
exploitation becomes feasible and
constitutes a promising opportunity
for the entire region. However, since
many of these deposits are small, individual
processing facilities and tedious
bureaucratic processes for licenses are
costly and
may have a deterrent effect. As an
alternative, ore mined
at those deposits could be
transported to processing
plants in China or Kazakhstan. To
retain the benefis of
such operations in Kyrgyzstan, it would be
of interest to
develop a hub for ore processing in southern
Kyrgyzstan, for
example in Khaidarkan. The existing ore
enrichment plant is
suitable for this type of work although it
requires
refurbishment.
The
Khaidarkan plant is interested in
diversifying its activities towards gold
extraction and processing and has
recently received an offer to process
gold ores mined about
400 kilometres east of Khaidarkan. The
estimated investment
required to initiate gold processing is
between US$1 and 2
million. |
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Industrial minerals
Apart from gold, there are also
opportunities for non-metallic mining in the
area around Khaidarkan. Construction
materials, such as magnesite, serpentinite
and gypsum appear to be very
attractive for the local
market. Magnesite and serpentinite
are used for fie resistant bricks, which are
essential for cement kilns: with
two newly constructed cement plants
in the vicinity of
Khaidarkan, there are potential clients
nearby. Gypsum is of
use in cement production and in construction
materials, likely to fid markets in the
current construction
boom in southern Kyrgyzstan and the Ferghana
Valley.
Bentonite, a clay material that can be mined
locally,
serves many purposes ranging from cosmetics
to drilling agents. It is commonly used as a
capping material for
environmental remediation. Given the many
problematic areas in Khaidarkan requiring
remediation, bentonite production on the
site would be very useful.
Agriculture and small-scale development
While for the rest of southern Kyrgyzstan
agriculture is the
main economic sector, it is relatively
poorly developed in the Khaidarkan valley,
which is mainly limited
by harsh climatic conditions.
Agriculture in the valley
could however be improved by
optimizing land use,
strengthening local food processing and
improving the
marketing of agricultural products. By
increasing the local
production and promoting related businesses,
the valley could become more
self-sustaining and less
vulnerable to economic changes such
as decline of the
mercury industry.
Other
non-industrial opportunities lie in
artisanal products and services such as
carpet weaving, handicrafts
and souvenir production. Car repair,
plumbing, construction are also activities
where local business can
be developed as an income source. An
initiative called |