Unscheduled inspections of enterprises involved in placer gold mining in Kyrgyzstan have revealed environmental damage amounting to 1.039 billion soms (approximately $11.4 million). This was announced on May 20 by First Deputy Minister of Natural Resources Kubat Kaseiinov during a session of the Jogorku Kenesh Committee on Fuel and Energy Complex, Subsoil Use, and Industrial Policy, Economist.kg reports.
According to Kaseiinov, only 163.4 million soms of the total damages have been recovered so far.
Most inspections took place in the Chatkal, Ala-Buka, and Aksy districts of the Jalal-Abad region. In 2024 alone, 96 licenses were issued for placer gold development — 67 for mining and 29 for exploration. However, in the Chatkal district, where 45 licenses were issued, only five companies are currently operating, Kaseiinov noted.
“If no activity is carried out by the time a license expires, it will be revoked,” he emphasized.
According to the Ministry of Natural Resources, as of 2024, Kyrgyzstan's placer gold reserves amounted to 7.57 tonnes. Since the beginning of 2025, an additional 243.2 kilograms have been added to the national balance. Gold is currently trading at $3,318 per ounce, with experts predicting an increase to $3,668 by the end of the year and possibly up to $5,000 by 2030.
The ministry also reported that 166 kilograms of gold were mined in 2024, but 23 companies submitted zero reports, raising concerns among lawmakers. MPs criticized the practice of issuing licenses to companies that are not actively operating and highlighted the lack of oversight in the export of gold concentrate, calling for a public investigation.
MP Akkulu Berdiev reminded that mining companies are obligated to deposit guarantee funds for land reclamation. However, 18 companies failed to fulfill this requirement and did not carry out restoration work after extraction ended. MP Jayloobai Nyshanov confirmed these issues, adding that appeals to the prosecutor's office yielded no results, and some of these companies continue to operate in the industry.
“They take the gold and leave behind devastated land. One village elder complained that after 90 hectares were handed over for excavation, the land was left unreclaimed,” Nyshanov stated.
There were also complaints about deteriorating water quality in the Orlovka area. MP Seid Atambaev suggested conducting a water analysis, as residents reported a change in color in the water consumed by livestock.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
May 20, 2025