Kazakhstan: 10 Regions Not Prepared for Wildfire Season, Ecology Minister Warns

Despite the start of wildfire season, many regions in Kazakhstan remain unprepared, Orda.kz reports.

According to Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Erlan Nysanbayev, 10 regions still lack adequate readiness.

As of April 7 of this year, forestry institutions in the Aqtobe, Atyrau, East Kazakhstan, Jambyl, West Kazakhstan, Qostanay, Pavlodar, North Kazakhstan and Turkestan regions, as well as the Semey Ormany reserve, were not prepared for the fire season,
Nysanbayev said during a government meeting. 

The fire season began on March 26 for southern and western regions, April 7 for northern and central areas, and April 14 for the east.

However, inspections revealed serious issues: many fire trucks, tractors, and small firefighting systems are out of service. Of the 314 fire trucks operated by forestry services, 132 — about 42% — are due for decommissioning.

There is also a shortage of observation towers in five regions, and many fire stations date back to the 1950s and 1960s. Some regions have not allocated available environmental funds for station upgrades.

The Akimats of the aforementioned regions, having funds from emissions, do not allocate them for the construction of new forest fire stations. The issue of increasing the number of forest guards to the standard in the East Kazakhstan (with 1,154 units, 833 units are required), Aqmola (535/504 units) and Pavlodar (208/92 units) regions has not been resolved.

Nysanbayev said local governments have been instructed to address these issues and ensure all equipment is fully operational by April 15.

The Ministry of Emergency Situations reported issuing over 700 warnings to Akimats about fire readiness.

Daily raids by mobile groups continue, 475 violators have already been identified,
the Ministry reported. 

Dry weather and tall grass are expected this summer, increasing the risk of large-scale fires. Since the start of the year, 32 forest fires have already burned more than 4,800 hectares.

Original Author: Zhadra Zhulmukhametova