Kazakh Officials Tried To Hand Protected Lakes To Private Owners

Officials in Pavlodar Region tried to transfer land plots containing specially protected lakes into private hands, Orda.kz reports.

The prosecutor’s office in Aktogay District blocked the move after finding that three agricultural land plots had been put up for tender. The plots included both freshwater and salt lakes, as well as reservoirs used for salt extraction.

The total area of the water bodies exceeds 60 hectares. All of them are under state protection.

While preparing the tender, officials failed to comply with mandatory requirements under the Water Code. They did not carry out the required procedures or obtain the necessary approvals. In practice, the buyers would have received not only the land, but also access to protected water bodies,the prosecutor’s office said.

The tender results were canceled. The officials responsible were disciplined.

Original author: Ruslan Loginov

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