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Eastern Caspian
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Environment and Security
Khazar (formerly Cheleken) is a town of
10 000 people (16 000 people in the past), lo-
cated on the Cheleken peninsula on the Cas-
pian shore. Iron bromide (FeBr
2
) production
started at the Cheleken plant in 1940. The
start of iodine production followed in 1976.
The production capacity of the plant is about
250 tonnes of iodine a year. The natural wa-
ter (brine) found here contains radioactive
elements. During iodine processing, using
the coal absorption method, radionuclides
(mostly Ra) in the brine are deposited on the
surface of pipes and equipment, and in the
coal used in the process itself. About 18 000
tonnes of radioactive waste have accumulat-
ed and are now deposited in an open storage
area less than 200 m from the sea. Some of
the plant’s facilities have already been en-
gulfed by the rising sea. The radiation dose
on the plant’s dump varies from 2 500 to
4 000 micro roentgens per hour [uR/h], and
in the surroundings 250–750 uR/h, posing an
occupational health risk for workers mainly
through inhalation. Radon concentrations in
the local air are 1 000 times higher than the
average for Turkmenistan and close to the
permissible limit values for exposure. Strong
winds and dust storms may disperse the
materials and contaminated carbon particles
in the dump. Liquid acid effluents from the
plant pose an additional environmental prob-
lem. Due to the appalling condition of the
pumping and neutralization stations these
effluents are discharged almost untreated.
The authorities have issued a call for tenders
to neutralize the site and build a radioactive
waste storage unit in Aligul, a safer location
17 km away from Khazar. The NATO project
implemented under the Environment and
Security Initiative in Central Asia is assisting
Turkmenistan in the safe handling of radioac-
tive waste, including support to a radiochem-
ical laboratory in Ashgabat and training in
waste characterization and radio protection.
Industries in the Cheleken peninsula and sea level rise, Turkmenistan
Estimates of the damage caused by the
rising sea level and wave surges in Kaza-
khstan’s Caspian region over the period
from 1978 to 1996 amount to US$1 billion,
mostly due to the impacts on oil wells and
coastal infrastructure
67
. Atyrau province
suffered the most because of its flat terrain.
Over 1 million ha of coastal land, including
more than half a million ha of pasture and
other agricultural land, several oilfields and
over 150 wells were flooded. Many com-
mentators attribute the decline in Atyrau’s
agriculture to the flooding. The Tuhlaya Bal-
ka reservoir, which accumulates and evap-
orates Atyrau’s wastewater, is just 10 km
from the Caspian Sea. Storm surges cut this
distance to 3–4 km, and any further rise in
sea level threatens to flood this major waste
site on the Caspian Sea shore. A forecast-
ing and early warning system is now opera-
tional and should minimize possible dam-
age and enable prompt evacuation.