Temirtau: Qarmet Obliged to Consider Environment

Qaraganda region Akim Yermaganbet Bulekpayev commented on the CREA study assessing the environmental impact of the ArcelorMittal metallurgical plant from 1996 to 2023, Orda.kz reports.

The study claims that the company's operations in Kazakhstan caused severe environmental damage and deaths.

The study said that the Kazakh government showed ArcelorMittal the door after numerous accidents and fatalities. The damage continues to surface today.

CREA's community health impact assessment found that the steel plant caused air pollution, leading to thousands of deaths in the Temirtau area and billions of dollars in health damage.

The regional akim assured that the Qarmet company, which replaced AMT, will act more responsibly.

The company has undertaken obligations to improve the environment not only in Temirtau, but also in other cities where it is present. The work is being carried out in three areas. This is the gasification of Temirtau itself, including the private sector, and the metallurgical plant. Today, the plant remains, perhaps, the last large enterprise in the world that still does not use natural gas in production. In this regard, the company has entered into an agreement to connect to the Saryarka main line to provide natural gas, said Yermaganbet Bulekpaev.

The Akim says these measures will significantly improve the city's ecological situation. However, the plans cannot be implemented in one year; the amount of work is too great. 

Bulekpayev added that the company has begun planting trees around the plant. This is part of Qarmet's obligations.

Both public figures and the company's representatives are monitoring this process.

Original Author Olga Ibraeva