A possible Chernobyl-scale nuclear disaster threatens the fertile Fergana valley in Central Asia as Soviet-built dams holding vast amounts of uranium mine tailings that sit above the region are unstable, studies are said to have revealed. If the dams collapse, the spillage of the tailings would make the vicinity uninhabitable. The dams, located in Kyrgyzstan, hold some 700,000 cubic metres (185mn gallons) of uranium mine tailings. Assessments have shown that they became unreliable following a 2017 landslide. A further landslide, or an earthquake, could pollute the river system used to irrigate…