A Witch's Brew

First broadcast July 2006

It is barely fifteen years since Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan emerged from the shadows of the Soviet Empire and all now find themselves facing enormous environmental problems.

As Firdevs Robinson discovers in two programmes for One Planet, these range from deforestation to the dangers posed by former uranium dumps and the long term effects of Soviet water policies.

Part One: Human Cost

Travelling from the mountains of Kyrgyzstan to the steppes of Kazakhstan, One Planet explores some of the main ecological issues in a region which boasts some of the most stunning scenery in the world.

In the first of this two-part series, Firdevs Robinson visits Lake Issy Kul, the second largest mountain lake in the world and the pride of the Kyrgyz people.

And finds out how it was once used for testing Soviet torpedoes and how, in 1998, its waters were poisoned by a huge chemical spill.

She then travels to the south of Kyrgyzstan, to Mayli-suu, where landslides are threatening to spread uranium pollution through the fertile rivers of the Fergana Valley, home to more than six million people.

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