Azernews.Az

A letter from Uzbekistan's representative to the UN, Diler Hakimov, to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon which draws attention to the deterioration of the environmental situation in the northern areas of the Surkhandarya region of Uzbekistan near the border with Tajikistan was released at the UN headquarters in New York as a document of the UN General Assembly, the UN News Centre reported.

'Trans boundary pollution caused by harmful industrial emissions from the Tajik Aluminium Company TALCO poses a threat to environmental safety, sources of livelihoods and sustainable development in Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and other countries,' the letter said.

The Uzbekistan representative drew UN Secretary General's attention to the fact that the extent of the negative impact of the industrial activities of TALCO on the environment, health and gene pool of the local population, as well as irreparable damage to ecosystems of the area has reached unprecedented levels.

According to Hakimov, an end must be put towards the negative effects of the TALCO emissions.

The Tajik Aluminium Plant (TadAZ), the only one in Central Asia producing aluminium, was commissioned in 1975 in Tursunzoda. In 2007 it was renamed to the state unitary enterprise Tajik Aluminium Company (TALCO).

The main company product is primary aluminium. About 98 per cent of primary aluminium is exported each year. The plant is a major export producer in Tajikistan. Its designed capacity is 517,000 tons per year. There are more than 12,000 employees.

According to Uzbek experts, because of the ineffective and outdated purification system, the facility annually emits 22-23,000 tons of pollutants, including more than 200 tons of hydrogen fluoride which is very dangerous and harmful for human health and the environment.

As a result of TALCO's activity, the hydrogen fluoride content of the atmosphere in the northern districts of the Surkhandarya region of Uzbekistan now exceeds the maximum allowable concentration by 1.8 - two times and by 3.4 times in the summer months.