Shymkent Residents Report Persistent Smog and Gas Odor Across the City

For a week, a noticeable gas smell has spread through the city, and a dense fog has covered the streets, Orda.kz reports.

Residents say it has become difficult to breathe, while officials, they note, are not offering clear solutions.

It's impossible to sit in the yard in the evening. There's a strong smell of gas. We live in a private house. Opening a window is simply impossible. We can't breathe normally because of the smoke smell.

I don't know if there's any way to reduce this, but action is urgently needed. Many infections these days are also caused by dirty air.

People say the smell has become stronger in recent days. From seven in the evening until noon, the smog is dense enough to irritate the throat and cause headaches.

Environmentally active residents collected signatures and appealed to the Akimat.

However, officials maintain there is no cause for concern, stating that measurements showed no significant deviations.

If the wind picks up or it rains, the smell will disappear. When a sharp cold snap sets in, the smoke doesn't dissipate and remains in the air. We suspect this is due to the accumulation of vehicle exhaust and general urban smoke,
says Deputy Head of the Shymkent Department of Ecology Duisen Kultileuov.

State environmentalists believe the evening smog in Shymkent is caused not only by vehicle emissions but also by widespread autumn leaf burning.

Officials note that similar situations have long been seen in other major cities across the country.

Original Author: Nazerke Yerkinbekkyzy