Public Hearings on Lake Inder Salt Project Split Residents

Public hearings in the village of Inderbor on projects by JSC AralTuz and LLP AralSoda effectively split participants into two camps, Orda.kz reports, citing Ak Zhaiyk. Residents demanded answers to questions that, they said, have remained unresolved for several years.

More than 300 people gathered at the House of Culture on April 29. From the very beginning, the discussion was marked by remarks from the audience, applause and attempts to interrupt the speakers.

The hearings concerned an environmental permit for the open-pit extraction of table salt from Lake Inder.

What AralTuz is Proposing

The project предусматривает industrial salt production on an area of 10,000 hectares. The company plans to extract up to 37,000 tons a year between 2026 and 2037.

Operations are planned from April to November. The project involves the use of machinery, including a cold milling machine and excavators. The extracted salt would be stored at a dehydration site and then shipped to customers by road.

According to the calculations presented, emissions could reach 136 tons a year, including sodium chloride, nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide. The company also said the project would create about 500 jobs.

We have defined a sanitary protection zone of 500 meters. Given the distance to the village, there is no danger. Regular monitoring will be carried out to control emissions and soil conditions. According to Kazhydromet, the prevailing wind direction is from east to west, while the village is located to the northwest.independent ecologist Daulet Asanov said.

According to him, salt reserves in the lake are estimated at 1.2 million tons, and the project is being considered as a pilot to assess raw material quality and possible processing options. There are plans to produce 375,000 tons over 10 years.

Questions Over the Lake’s Status

Participants also discussed the change in the status of Lake Inder. It had previously been classified as a specially protected area, but was removed from that list in November 2024.

Deputy and environmental activist Yesenbai Nurov said the initiator was the Atyrau region akimat, although the Ecology Ministry did not initially support the move.

The akimat was instructed to hold public hearings. However, on October 4, 2024, a telephone survey of residents was conducted by order of AralTuz.he said.

According to him, exploration licenses issued to AralTuz and AralSoda in 2021-2022 were granted without public discussion.

A complaint has been filed with law enforcement agencies on this matter, and the prosecutor’s office is conducting an inspection.Nurov added.

Sociologist Ademkhan Kuderinov noted that in 2022 company representatives had said they were not planning production, but only studying public opinion.

The lake has already been at the center of disputes before. In 2021, there was an attempt to build a health center there, but the project was halted because of the site’s protected status.

Opinions Split

Some participants spoke against the project, while others supported it in hopes of new jobs. At one point, activists unfurled a banner reading “Hands off the lake,” prompting a strong reaction in the hall.

Extraction involving fuel and lubricants should not be allowed on the lake. The wind sometimes lasts for months. During production, salt will rise into the air and reach the village. I am categorically against it. We already have Indertuz, which supplies salt to half of Kazakhstan. There is no shortage.former district ecologist Marat Mukanov said.

Everything around the village is turning into a salt marsh. Salt settles on hayfields, and there are almost no pastures left. Everything along the canals is salty. The license was issued illegally, so the hearings are illegal too.said village resident Baizhan Shingaziyev.

It is necessary to understand how the license was obtained and why the lake was removed from the protected areas. Wind speeds reach 25 meters per second, and a 500-meter sanitary zone is not enough.environmental activist Galina Chernova said.

Anar Dosbayeva, head of the district hospital, said similar questions had already been raised before without answers.

We have already asked what the consequences would be if sodium chloride is carried by the wind over distances of up to 10 kilometers. They proposed changing the mining technology. There are still no answers. At the same time, hypertension and cardiovascular diseases rank first in the region.she said.

After more than two hours of discussion, most participants spoke against the project.

The hearings took place, but it cannot be said that the population supported them. A legal assessment of the license will be given.district akim Arthur Murzin said.

Residents were also told that it was not advisable to hold hearings on the AralSoda project. Later, however, it became known that they had been postponed until May 4.

Original author: Raushan Korzhumbekova

Read also:

• Lake Inder: Unlocking Regional Development While Preserving Natural Heritage
• Central Asian Leaders Back International Day for the Aral Sea and Its Main Rivers
• Caspian Sea Unlikely to Disappear in the Foreseeable Future, Scientist Says