Natural Resources

Sustainable and Environmentally Safe Mining

 Through a large-scale of geological exploration, several hundred mineral deposits have been identified, explored and partially used for the industrial development in Tajikistan. These are deposits of lead and zinc, copper and bismuth, antimony and azoque, precious metal, molybdenum and wolframium, iron, tin, boron raw materials, strontium, fluorite, rock salts, semi-precious and precious stones, wall stones and many other types of raw materials for the construction industry, coal, anthracite, graphite, oil and gas, ozokerite, underground fresh, thermal and mineral waters, phosphorites, as well as a number of other minerals, in total more than 50 types of mineral resources. For instance, in the Sogd region, in addition to antimony and azoque, 214 deposits of other minerals were discovered, such as lead, zinc, copper, bismuth, molybdenum, wolframium, strontium, iron, gold, silver, coal, tin, fluorite, rock salt and other metal and non-metallic items made of precious and semi-precious metals. According to preliminary estimates, the cost of minerals and metals (mainly gold, silver, zinc, antimony and lead) at the Uchkado deposit exceeds billions of dollars. On the basis of explored reserves of various types of minerals, industries, mines, coal mines, quarries, mining and processing plants and factories, enterprises of non-ferrous metallurgy and chemical industry, a cement plant, enterprises processing non-metallic raw materials, sanatorium and resort hospitals, complexes for the use of thermal waters, etc. were established.

For the country, 93% of the territory of which is occupied by the highest mountain peaks, the issue of further development of geological exploration and the use of mineral resources remains one of the most important in strengthening the economy and achieving economic independence.

The state of the mineral resource base of the Republic of Tajikistan is characterized as follows:

1.  Gold
2.  Silver
3.  Lead and zinc
4.  Antimony
5.  Tin
6.  Tungsten
7.  Iron
8.  Aluminum 
9.  Strontium 
10.  Coal 
11.  Rock salt
12.  Phosphorite
13.  Construction materials