Orlovka
Orlovka, established in 1910, was historically part of the Kyrgyz Mining and Metallurgical Plant and the Kemin Chemical Metallurgical Plant, alongside Ak-Tuz. During peacetime, Orlovka specialized in the production of rare-earth metals. By the collapse of the Soviet Union, the town had also mastered the production of semiconductor silicon, marking its industrial significance in the region.
As of 2021, Orlovka has a population of 6,167 and was officially designated as a town of rayon significance in the Kemin district of the Chui region in 2012. Since 2015, the Chinese gold-mining enterprise Altynken LLC has been operating near the town, managing the Taldy-Bulak Levoberezhny mine located 12 km away along the Taldy-Bulak River.
As of 2021, Orlovka has a population of 6,167 and was officially designated as a town of rayon significance in the Kemin district of the Chui region in 2012. Since 2015, the Chinese gold-mining enterprise Altynken LLC has been operating near the town, managing the Taldy-Bulak Levoberezhny mine located 12 km away along the Taldy-Bulak River.
However, Orlovka also bears the environmental consequences of its Soviet-era mining operations. Approximately 3.8 km from the town lies a massive tailing site from the Bordu deposit. This tailing contains an estimated 3.2 to 3.7 million cubic meters of radioactive waste and spans an area of 130,000 square meters. The extensive mining and processing activities in Orlovka have resulted in significant accumulations of industrial and toxic waste, including radioactive thorium and heavy metal salts such as cadmium, molybdenum, lead, zinc, beryllium, hafnium, and zirconium oxides.
Today, Orlovka's history and current challenges illustrate the long-term environmental and social impacts of intensive mining activities.
Today, Orlovka's history and current challenges illustrate the long-term environmental and social impacts of intensive mining activities.