Mailuu-Suu

Mailuu-Suu Майлуусуу
Mailuu-Suu Location in Kyrgyzstan
Coordinates: 41°15′36″N 72°26′59″E / 41.26°N 72.44972°E / 41.26; 72.44972
Country	Kyrgyzstan
Province	Jalal-Abad Province

Mailuusuu (Kyrgyz: Майлуусуу) is a mining town in Jalal-Abad Province of southern Kyrgyzstan which has fallen on very hard times since the demise of the Soviet Union. Uranium mining and processing is no longer economical, leaving much of the local population of about 20,000 without meaningful work.

The main legacy of the Soviet past is, however, the danger from the large number of unstable uranium tailings pits on the tectonically unstable hillside above it. Indeed, Mailuusuu was found to be one of the 10 most polluted sites in the world in a study published on October 2006 by the Blacksmith Institute [1]. Substantial investments will be needed to secure these sites and prevent them from emptying upon the town and river below. Since 2003 the Worldbank has been financing a first phase of this effort.

Coordinates: 41°15′36″N 72°26′59″E / 41.26°N 72.44972°E / 41.26; 72.44972