“We Are Being Asked to Approve an Illegal Project”: Environmentalists Demand Halt to Almaty Mountain Development

A press conference was held in Almaty where environmentalists and activists criticized the government’s plans to develop the city’s foothills. They said the new projects could not only damage the ecosystem, but also violate Kazakhstan’s international obligations, Orda.kz reports.

Sergey Kuratov, chairman of the Green Salvation environmental society, demanded that the government decree on the development of the Almaty mountain cluster for 2025–2029 be canceled. He called the document illegitimate, saying the authorities had ignored the opinions of experts and citizens.

We believe we are being asked to approve a project that violates national legislation and international conventions,Kuratov said.

He added that the plan contradicts the Aarhus Convention and Kazakhstan’s Environmental Code. According to Kuratov, the public should have been involved in discussing the project at a stage when it was still possible to choose the “zero option” — a complete rejection of construction for the sake of preserving nature. Instead, he said, experts’ comments were heard but not included in the final plan.

Elena Yerzakovich, a member of the Save Kok-Zhailau initiative group, referred to a strategic assessment report on adjustments to Almaty’s general plan. According to her, the document directly warns of the dangers of mountain development and recommends abandoning any projects that would damage the integrity of the ecosystem.

Experts also warned about a possible water crisis. Mountain resorts require large amounts of water for artificial snowmaking and infrastructure maintenance.

The mountain resort would use the same amount of water as a large Almaty microdistrict,Yerzakovich said.

She also asked why authorities plan to build permanent facilities on national park land if they could have an irreversible impact on melting glaciers. According to Yerzakovich, no answer was given.

Original author: Eva Golovintseva

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