Kazakhstan

Neighbours of The Polygon

Rakhima Eshi

I have lived in Begen all of my life. Before the Soviet times my family were nomadic herders living from the land and their animals. All this changed when my father died in the famine of 1936. After this time my mother and family worked on a collective farm.

During the nuclear testing of the 1950s there were radio announcements about the explosions from The Polygon. They would give us instructions, such as leaving your home and ensuring that your oven was not operating. At the time of the explosion we would all go outside and watch as the mushroom clouds rose into the sky. No one knew about the dangers and the affects the explosions would have on our lives. Of course we were scared, but at that time we just did what we were told.

One of the things that amazed me most during the nuclear test period was when it rained. The droplets of water that landed on our streets, homes and gardens were mixed with a brilliant green substance. You could see the green substance floating on the surface of our lakes and rivers. I think that this was the fallout from the tests.

The environment around Begen has definitely changed over the last 40 years. I'm not sure if the changes are linked directly to the tests, but many of them commenced around the same time as the testing. The lakes and rivers in this area used to be a lot bigger and they used be surrounded by forest. The water would freeze in the winter and we would have to cut ice cubes from the snow and ice if we wanted to do washing and cooking. Nowadays you can't do this, the snow is mushy and inconsistent due to the warmer weather.

The forest that surrounded the village was home to squirrels, wild cats and deer and many different types of herbs that we would eat. As children we often heard stories of wild lynx that had attacked hunters. The forest doesn't exist today, just dry and barren pastures that create wild fires and dust storms.

The forest and lakes in this area were definitely a big part of my life back then and I am sad that my grandchildren and the children of Begen can not create their own forest adventures. They can't go and play in the long grasses or collect the first spring flowers like I did with my friends. Then again, many of the children in the village are ill. They have skin diseases and allergies, so maybe they would be unable to play in the forest. The children just aren't as strong and healthy as they used to be.