East Kazakhstan Akim Outlines 10 Billion Tenge Plan to Improve Regional Ecology

East Kazakhstan Region Akim Nurymbet Saktaganov detailed ongoing measures to improve the region’s environmental situation. He stated that the region has a three-year environmental protection plan with a budget of 10 billion tenge, Orda.kz reports.

The projects funded under this plan include the modernization of boiler stations, the reconstruction of wastewater treatment facilities, landfill reclamation, and landscaping.

Saktaganov noted that industrial emissions have fallen by more than 9% over the past five years. He added that the region plans to connect the private sector — about 36,000 stove-heated homes — to district heating networks.

The akim said that vehicles remain the largest source of air pollution, accounting for roughly 58–59%, while industrial enterprises are responsible for about 32% of emissions:

Last year, 3.9 billion tenge was allocated under the plan. This year, 5.3 billion tenge has already been allocated, an increase of 35%, not 30%. Work is currently underway to modernize boiler networks, reconstruct wastewater treatment facilities, reclaim landfills, and perform other tasks. We will continue this work.

He also emphasized that authorities have signed a memorandum with industrial enterprises, giving specialists from the Department of Ecology unrestricted access to facilities for on-site measurements.

Particular attention is being given to major enterprises — Kazzinc, the Oskemen Thermal Power Plant, and the Sogrinsk Thermal Power Plant. According to the akim, these companies are upgrading purification systems and purchasing higher-quality filters as part of their investment programs.

Monitoring is being conducted jointly with public organizations. He stressed that the enterprises share responsibility for the region’s environment, as their own employees and families live in Oskemen.

These are our enterprises, their managers, and their workers — Kazakhstanis. They, too, are interested in a healthy environment because they and their children live here. So, we are all interested and working together to resolve this issue. In the next four to five years, we will be living in a different environmental situation.

Saktaganov added that declaring the region an environmental disaster zone is not under consideration. The focus remains on strengthening systemic measures and enforcing environmental regulations.

Meanwhile, Oskemen has experienced several consecutive days of second-degree unfavorable weather conditions.

A gray haze hangs over the city, and residents can literally see the air they are breathing. According to Kazhydromet, on November 17, levels of hydrogen sulfide were 2.6 times above normal, and sulfur dioxide was 1.373 times higher.

Original Author: Artyom Volkov