With its mining industry set to expand, Uzbekistan is taking steps to strengthen the safety of Tailings Management Facilities (TMFs), thanks to practical training organized by UNECE. The 3-day training session this week brought together representatives from national authorities, mining operators, and international experts to build capacity in preventing accidental water pollution and ensuring tailings safety. This is part of the UNECE-led Project on strengthening tailings safety and the prevention of accidental water pollution in Uzbekistan and beyond in Central Asia, supported by the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN).

The training took place at the Almalyk Mining and Metallurgical Complex, one of Uzbekistan’s largest industrial hubs and critical to Uzbekistan's expanding mining sector. The facility is located in the Tashkent region, 65 kilometers southeast of the capital, and processes over 40 million tons of tailings annually, with plans to expand significantly. Ensuring the structural integrity of its dams and pipelines is essential to prevent environmental accidents.

During the training, participants applied the UNECE Safety Guidelines and Good Practices for Tailings Management Facilities and the related Methodology for Tailings Management Facilities, which are essential tools for assessing and managing the risks associated with TMFs. These tools have also been successfully applied in several other UNECE countries before, including in Armenia, Romania and Tajikistan. The UNECE Online Toolkit and Training on Strengthening Mine Tailings Safety explains how the Guidelines and Methodology can be used by competent authorities and operator in other countries (see English video and Russian video). While developed by UNECE countries, they can be used globally.

Recommendations for action resulting from the training included: to  improve drainage structures that divert all natural surface runoff around the boundaries of the TMF during periods of heavy rainfall or snowmelt; improve monitoring of air and ground pollution; strengthen the system of the access of third parties and animals to the territory of the TMF and adjacent facilities . The training strengthened the capacity of Uzbek authorities and operators to apply international safety standards, with a particular focus on preventing industrial accidents. Through practical exercises using the UNECE checklist methodology, participants were equipped with essential tools to assess and improve the safety of TMFs. These efforts are expected to play a key role in enhancing Uzbekistan’s overall ability to manage TMFs effectively and reinforce its commitment to strengthening industrial safety across the country.

The on-site inspection was preceded by a theoretical training workshop, introducing participants to the UNECE Safety Guidelines and Good Practices for Tailings Management Facilities and the related Methodology for Tailings Management Facilities aimed at reinforcing safety protocols for tailings management. In his opening remarks, Mr. Golib Shukurov, Chief Specialist at the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection, and Climate Change of Uzbekistan, emphasized the importance of applying the correct methodologies for ensuring tailings dam safety. He also noted that industrial accidents and their environmental consequences, particularly accidental water pollution, remain urgent global challenges. International experts contributed with valuable insights, sharing their experiences with the application of the TMF checklist methodology in Romania and ongoing work in the Safety4TMF project.

This training is part of the broader Assistance and Cooperation Programme, which supports countries with economies in transition from the UNECE region, including Uzbekistan, in implementing the UNECE Convention on the Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents. While Uzbekistan is not yet a Party to the Convention, it has been actively engaged in the programme, working to strengthen its capacity to prevent industrial accidents and safeguard water resources from pollution. Following the training, Uzbekistan will continue to apply the findings, prioritizing safety improvements at its 41 tailings management facilities, 10 of which pose potential transboundary risks. The country will also advance efforts towards accession to the UNECE Industrial Accidents Convention, further aligning its national regulatory framework with international safety standards.

Further information about the training is available at: https://unece.org/info/events/event/394087.