Kazakh Deputies Demand Answers Over Lake Inder’s Loss Of Protected Status

Deputies from the Ak Zhol faction have demanded an explanation for why salt lake Inder in Atyrau Region was removed from the list of state nature reserve sites of national importance, Orda.kz reports.

The government made the decision on November 22, 2024. However, Ak Zhol deputy Serik Yerubaev said in a parliamentary request that local residents were not shown any scientific, environmental, or legal justification for changing the lake’s status.

Under Articles 58 and 73 of the Environmental Code, decisions that affect the environment must be made openly and with public participation. However, according to an official letter from the Inderbor village akimat dated March 27, 2026, no public hearings involving local residents were held on the issue of changing Lake Inder’s status,the deputy said.

The deputies also questioned subsoil use licenses issued to AralTuz and AralSoda in 2021–2022, when the lake still had the status of a specially protected natural site.

The faction noted that the law prohibits activities that do not correspond to the purpose of a specially protected natural area. At the same time, a local entrepreneur was denied permission in 2021 to build a health and tourism facility precisely because of the lake’s protected status.

The ban on activity in one case and the issuance of mineral exploration licenses in another raise reasonable questions about the uniform application of the law,the request says.

Ak Zhol is asking the government to publish the justification for removing the lake from the reserve fund, check the legality of the licenses, and take action if violations are found. The deputies also propose considering whether Lake Inder should be returned to its former protected status.

Original author: Ilya Astakhov

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