Towards the closing of the “Gates of Hell”, a gas crater that has been on fire since 1971

The president of Turkmenistan, a reclusive country in Central Asia, has given the order to extinguish the flames which have been burning for half a century in the giant gas crater of Darvaza, nicknamed the “gates of Hell”. Located in the Karakum Desert, it has been burning continuously since 1971 and has become the main tourist attraction in Turkmenistan, the former Soviet Republic and one of the most closed countries in the world.

“Find a solution to put out the fire”

Its president, Gourbangouly Berdymoukhamedov, estimated that the flames burning in this 70-meter-wide well had “a negative effect on the environment and the health of neighboring populations”.

“We are wasting valuable natural resources for which we could receive gains that would be used to increase the well-being of our people,” he added, according to statements broadcast by state television on Saturday. He therefore ordered the authorities to “find a solution to extinguish the fire” which is burning in Darvaza.

Huge gas reserves in the country

In 1971, Soviet scientists accidentally drilled an underground pocket of gas there, while drilling for deposits. The ground sagged, creating the crater. Fearing that it would emit poison gas, the authorities decided to set it on fire, believing that it would dry up the deposit. But half a century later, it is still burning. Authorities tried to turn it off on several occasions, without success. At the same time, Turkmenistan has endeavored to make the site, located 270 kilometers from the capital, Ashkhabad, a tourist spot.

In any case, the crater illustrates the immensity of the gas reserves on which Turkmenistan sits, whose economy is very dependent on energy exports. Last month, Russia announced that in 2021 it had doubled its gas imports from Turkmenistan, which also wants to increase its annual sales to China to 100 billion cubic meters, from 40 billion cubic meters currently.