In the last days of March, activists of the Ecological Movement of Uzbekistan held several demonstrations against the “Tajik Aluminum Company” (TALCO). The activists appealed to international organizations to take measures and stop the environmental pollution in their area caused by the aluminum plant. Many analysts consider the demonstrations as a part of the Uzbek authorities’ reaction to Tajikistan’s plans to finish the construction of the Rogun hydropower station. In this light, experts in Tajikistan think that the issues between two states should be resolved by political-diplomatic means rather than taking to the streets.               

The TALCO was established in 1975. It is located 60 kilometers to the west from Tajikistan’s capital Dushanbe, close to the border with Uzbekistan. The productive capacity of TALCO is 530,000 tons of raw aluminum per year. This plant provides up to 60 percent of Tajikistan’s export. In 2009 TALCO produced more than 360,000 tons of high-quality raw aluminum and had an income of about US$ 6 million.

The Ecological Movement’s protest campaign commenced on March 25 near Termez State University, located in Surkhandaryo province in the south of Uzbekistan. About 1,600 students of local technical schools and higher educational institutions were active in the demonstrations. On March 28, a demonstration took place at the railway station of the city of Termez. The demonstrators aimed to address the passengers of a train on the route Moscow-Dushanbe, that is, Tajiks heading home from Russia. The main message communicated by the protesters were that “as a result of the industrial pollution of the atmosphere, water, soil and vegetation, people in the area suffer from increased levels of blood circulation and digestion diseases, and respiratory problems”. On March 31, students, deputies of the Parliament of Uzbekistan, members of the Ecological Movement and people living near the areas bordering Tajikistan held a meeting in Termez city.

In response to the demonstrations in Uzbekistan, the head of the press-service of TALCO, Sayokhat Kadyrova reported that the company plans to conduct an international ecological evaluation this summer to assess the effects the plant will have on environment after its modernization. TALCO representatives are confident that the results of the evaluation will confirm that the plant abides by all international standards. Furthermore, it was reported that the plant undergoes such inspections every year, and that leading international ecological companies are usually hired for this. It was also noted that the plant is currently undergoing modernization, for which it has over the last four years spent about US$ 196 million.

As some local sources report, TALCO annually produces about 300-400 tons of  fluoric hydrogen, and its content in air, soil, livestock and agricultural produce exceeds international norms by several times. In addition, the plant’s system of water consumption disposes of all the industrial drains to the river Karatog, which flows into the basin of the Surkhandaryo river, the source of drinking water in many regions of the province. Besides the increased level of fluoric elements in plants, trees, and soil in the areas near the plant, there is also a high level of endocrine and immune system diseases, along with blood, stomach, respiratory, intestine diseases, osteodystrophy, and mineral and vitamin dysfunctions. 

Even though the harms done to Uzbeks residing in the area near the Tajik plant are obvious, in light of the tense relations between the two states, some experts have a different explanation to the causes of the demonstrations. Ajdar Kurtov, the chief editor of “Problems of National Strategy”, a publication of the Russian Institute of Strategic Research, thinks that the interrupted operation of such an important source of income would become a serious economic problem for Tajikistan. 

Analyst Arkadiy Dubnov interprets the actions of the Uzbek EcoMovement as a message to Tajik authorities that Uzbekistan can influence the most important income sources of Tajikistan just as Tajikistan seeks to control the hydro-energy system of Uzbekistan. The head of Tajikistan’s “Ecological club” movement, Alikhon Latifi, does not view the demonstrations in Uzbekistan as a public protest, but believes the efforts are initiated by state authorities.

In spite of the variety of explanations given by different experts about the protests in Uzbekistan, it is highly unlikely that they will have any serious consequences for TALCO. The information campaign against TALCO has been ongoing for more than three years already. Therefore, some experts see these demonstrations as little more than a way for a newly formed Ecological Movement of Uzbekistan to show results of their work.