Environment - The Times Of Central Asia

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Glacier Retreat

Kyrgyzstan’s Issyk-Kul Glaciers Have Lost One-Third of Their Area

Glacier coverage in the Issyk-Kul Basin has shrunk by 33.7% compared with records from 70–90 years ago, according to an updated inventory released by Kyrgyzhydromet, the Hydrometeorological Service under Kyrgyzstan’s Ministry of Emergency Situations. The service said coverage had declined by 23.1% over the past 7–10 years, indicating that the retreat has accelerated. The revised inventory was compiled using Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite imagery, Google Earth, QGIS, and earlier glacier catalogs. Researchers refined glacier boundaries, documented fragmentation, and identified glaciers that had disappeared. Kyrgyzhydromet attributed the decline to climate change and said the new inventory would provide a baseline for assessing the country’s long-term water resources. The retreat has implications for Lake Issyk-Kul, which is fed by rivers originating in the surrounding mountains. The 2018 Catalogue of Glaciers of Kyrgyzstan, based on Landsat 8 imagery from 2013–2016, recorded 957 glaciers covering 560.8 square kilometers in the Issyk-Kul Basin. About 118 rivers and streams flow into the lake, many supplied by snow and glacial melt. Between 1927 and 2003, the lake’s water level fell by 2.75 meters. Continued glacier loss could reduce river inflows and increase pressure on agriculture and tourism, both of which depend heavily on the basin’s water resources. In December 2025, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the Concept for the Sustainable Development of the Ecological and Economic System of Lake Issyk-Kul through 2030, along with an action plan. The measures include modernizing irrigation infrastructure and expanding the use of water-saving technologies, supported by concessional financing for farmers. Kyrgyzstan is also preparing a feasibility study for an integrated national cryosphere monitoring system. The proposed system would combine monitoring of glaciers and snow cover with other parts of the cryosphere. The new inventory provides a more recent basis for that work and for future water management and climate risk assessments.

Climate Change

Kyrgyzstan Links Record Heatwave to Accelerating Glacier Retreat

Kyrgyzstan's state weather agency, Kyrgyzhydromet, has warned that last month's record-breaking heatwave is the latest sign of climate change accelerating the retreat of the country's glaciers, threatening water supplies across Central Asia. The agency said the immediate heatwave was caused by regional atmospheric conditions, but its director, Daurbek Sakeyev, argued that the growing frequency of such extreme weather reflected a longer-term warming trend already affecting mountain ecosystems and water resources. Abnormally hot weather settled over Kyrgyzstan on July 14. Meteorologists attributed it to a combination of a summer thermal depression over Central Asia and a persistent area of high pressure in the upper atmosphere. The country saw consecutive days with temperatures exceeding 40°C. In Bishkek, the temperature reached 43.5°C on July 19, the highest July reading in the capital since observations began in 1936. Bishkek recorded no measurable rainfall during the month, while average daily temperatures on July 18 and 19 stood nearly 10°C above the seasonal norm. Record electricity demand prompted temporary supply restrictions in Bishkek and the surrounding Chuy Region, although a separate widespread outage on July 17 was attributed to the emergency disconnection of two 220-kilovolt transmission lines. Speaking after the heatwave had subsided, Sakeyev said spring was arriving earlier, summers were becoming hotter, and winters were bringing less precipitation, changes that were affecting the condition of the country’s glaciers. Earlier spring warming lengthens the annual melting season, while prolonged periods of extreme summer heat accelerate ice loss. Reduced winter snowfall also limits the accumulation of new ice and exposes darker glacier surfaces earlier, causing them to absorb more solar energy. According to Kyrgyzhydromet, Kyrgyzstan’s glaciers have lost around 16% of their total area over the past 70 years. Recent monitoring places the decline in the Talas Valley at 22%. Smaller, lower-altitude glaciers are particularly vulnerable, and scientists expect their number and area to decline substantially by 2050. Separately, Kyrgyzhydromet reported on July 30 that glacier area in the Issyk-Kul basin had declined by 33.7% over 70 to 90 years and by 23.1% over the most recent seven to ten years. The consequences extend beyond Kyrgyzstan. Tien Shan glaciers feed the Syr Darya, Chu, Talas, and Ili river systems, supplying water for millions of people, irrigation, and hydropower. Continued glacier retreat could alter seasonal flows and increase the risk of glacial lake outburst floods threatening mountain communities. Glacier retreat is one of Central Asia’s most significant long-term challenges. The region’s water security will depend on precipitation, seasonal snow cover, glacier loss, and governments’ ability to store and manage increasingly variable river flows.

Amur Tiger

Kazakhstan Releases First Tiger into Wild in More Than 70 Years

Kazakhstan has released a tiger into the wild for the first time in more than 70 years, beginning the practical phase of a long-running program to restore the predator to the Ili River delta. The female Amur tiger, Umit, was released at the Ile-Balkhash State Nature Reserve on July 31, the Ecology Ministry announced on August 3. “Today we witnessed a truly historic event,” Ecology Minister Yerlan Nysanbayev said. He described the release as the result of more than a decade of work by Kazakhstan, Russian specialists, scientists, and international conservation partners. Before the release, Umit underwent veterinary examinations and assessments of her health, hunting ability, behavior, and response to people. Officials fitted her with a GPS/GSM satellite collar. Reserve staff are now tracking her around the clock through satellite data and camera traps. The adult male tiger, also named Amur, remains under observation and must complete further behavioral assessments before any release. Two cubs, Turan and Ussuri, will remain in prepared enclosures until they are at least 18 months old. Officials will assess each animal separately. The four wild-caught tigers arrived from Russia’s Khabarovsk region in May. They joined Bogdana and Kuma, two captive Amur tigers transferred from the Netherlands in September 2024 for breeding. The Dutch pair will remain in an enclosure, while suitable offspring may later be prepared for release. Tigers once occupied reed beds and floodplain forests along the Ili and Syr Darya rivers. Hunting, habitat loss, and the collapse of wild prey populations drove the Turan, or Caspian, tiger from Kazakhstan. The last recorded animal in the country was killed in 1948. Kazakhstan is using Amur tigers because genetic research found a very close relationship between the surviving Russian Far East population and the extinct Caspian population. The study found that their main mitochondrial DNA types differed by only one nucleotide. Kazakhstan announced plans to restore tigers in 2010 and created the Ile-Balkhash reserve in 2018. The protected area covers the Ili delta and the southern shore of Lake Balkhash, one of the former strongholds of the Turan tiger. Preparations have included restoring floodplain habitat and rebuilding the prey base. Authorities released 205 Bukhara deer into the reserve between 2018 and 2024 and relocated more than 100 kulans. Roe deer and wild boar populations have also increased. A July review by Kazakh and Russian specialists examined the release preparations and issued technical recommendations. The NBSAP Accelerator Partnership said that, “Success will be measured not simply by releasing individual animals, but by establishing a secure, self-sustaining tiger population.” The program also includes measures to reduce conflict with nearby communities. Residents will receive individual alerts if a tracked tiger comes within five kilometers of a home or settlement. The reserve has established teams to deter, tranquilize, or capture an animal if necessary. A public hotline has operated since May 2025. A compensation herd has been created to reimburse owners if a tiger kills livestock. These measures are designed to prevent the animals from associating settlements with food...

Chemical Waste

Kyrgyzstan Hazardous Waste Cleanup Begins at Soviet Era Kristall Plant

Kyrgyzstan has launched a project with Russia's state nuclear corporation Rosatom to eliminate hazardous chemical waste stored for decades at the former Kristall industrial plant, one of the country's most dangerous Soviet-era environmental sites. Located in Tash-Kumyr in Jalal-Abad Region, the Kristall plant was intended to become one of the Soviet Union’s largest producers of high-purity silicon, a material used in microchips and, more recently, solar panels. Construction began in 1982 and the site was commissioned in 1989, but was never completed at its planned scale. Rising energy costs and the economic disruption that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union left the plant uncompetitive. Several attempts were made to revive production, although it never returned to full industrial operation and was declared bankrupt in 2010. The Kyrgyz Ministry of Natural Resources estimates that around 80 metric tons of toxic chemicals remain at the site. A more detailed Rosatom audit identified as much as 155 metric tons of confirmed or suspected chemical residues. For more than 15 years, the stockpile has been regarded as a potential environmental and public health risk. Both chemicals react rapidly with water or moisture in the air, producing heat and corrosive hydrogen chloride fumes. Exposure to the substances or their vapors can cause severe burns to the skin and eyes, damage the respiratory system, and, at high concentrations, cause potentially fatal lung injuries. According to the Ministry of Natural Resources, the chemicals are stored in specially designed metal containers that have gradually deteriorated after years without maintenance, increasing the risk of leaks. A technical assessment conducted by specialists from Rosatom in October 2024 confirmed the advanced deterioration of the storage infrastructure. It found that natural corrosion and decades of inactivity had increased the risk of tanks losing their seals or collapsing. Practical disposal work is scheduled to begin in November 2026. The operation has been planned for the colder months because lower temperatures reduce the danger of uncontrolled evaporation, fire, or chemical releases when the tanks are opened. The authorities expect the hazardous chemicals to be fully neutralized and the site brought to an environmentally safe condition by 2027. The Kyrgyz Ministry of Emergency Situations has valued its contract with Rosatom at 321.6 million rubles (approximately US$4.1 million). Although Kyrgyz officials previously said they were discussing possible Russian financing, the ministry later stated that the work would be paid for through Kyrgyzstan’s state budget. The project forms part of Kyrgyzstan’s broader effort to address the country’s Soviet-era environmental legacy. Rosatom has also helped clean up five former uranium sites at Min-Kush and Kaji-Sai, relocating large volumes of radioactive waste and restoring contaminated land over a nine-year period. Russia covered approximately 75% of the cost of that separate program. The Times of Central Asia previously reported that Bishkek had begun developing a unified long-term monitoring system for former uranium mining and waste sites to oversee their condition after remediation work is completed. Kristall presents a different type of danger because its waste is chemical rather than radioactive. Its history nevertheless...

Public Health

Kazakhstan and China Launch One Health Research Center in Almaty

Kazakhstan and China have opened a joint research center in Almaty focused on infectious diseases and biosafety. The Center for One Health Research opened on July 27 at the Kazakh National Agrarian Research University, known as KazNARU. It was created under Kazakhstan’s National Academy of Sciences in cooperation with the Chinese Academy of Sciences. During the opening ceremony, four institutions signed a memorandum covering joint research and academic exchanges. The signatories were Kazakhstan’s National Academy of Sciences, KazNARU, Zhejiang University, and the Institute of Microbiology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The center will support research into microbiology, veterinary medicine, public health, and infectious diseases. Its work will also cover antimicrobial resistance, food safety, and biological security. The One Health approach recognizes that the health of people, animals, plants, and ecosystems is closely connected. It encourages medical, veterinary, agricultural, and environmental specialists to work together on shared health risks. The World Health Organization says more than 60% of emerging infectious diseases reported worldwide originate in wild or domestic animals. Closer monitoring across human, animal, and environmental health systems can help identify outbreaks earlier and improve prevention. WHO develops the approach alongside the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, the World Organisation for Animal Health, and the UN Environment Programme. KazNARU said the new center would provide a platform for joint Kazakhstan-China research projects. It will also support exchanges involving scientists, lecturers, and students. The initiative expands scientific cooperation between Kazakhstan and China in biotechnology and applied research. As The Times of Central Asia previously reported, institutions from the two countries have also agreed to develop biological crop-protection products and transfer agricultural technologies.

Rogun Dam

Italy Commits $150 Million to Tajikistans Rogun Hydropower Plant

The World Bank Group and Italy’s state-controlled development bank, Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP), have signed a co-financing agreement to support construction of Tajikistan’s Rogun Hydropower Plant, CDP and the World Bank’s office in Tajikistan said. The signing ceremony took place at Tajikistan’s Ministry of Finance in Dushanbe. Under the agreement, the Italian Climate Fund will provide $150 million for the project. The funds will be managed by CDP on behalf of Italy’s Ministry of Environment and Energy Security. CDP said the financing would support construction work on the right bank of the Rogun Dam. The Rogun Hydropower Plant is being financed by a consortium of 12 international development partners led by the World Bank Group, with CDP among its members. According to the World Bank, the project is expected to strengthen Tajikistan’s energy security while supporting the development of a cleaner energy market across Central Asia. The World Bank has already approved $650 million in grant financing for the project through the International Development Association (IDA). Located on the Vakhsh River, the Rogun Hydropower Plant is the centerpiece of the Vakhsh hydropower cascade. The project originated during the Soviet period, although construction of the current scheme was formally launched in 2017. Once completed, currently scheduled for 2033, the facility is projected to have an installed capacity of 3,780 MW. The World Bank estimates the plant will generate 14,400 gigawatt-hours of renewable electricity each year, equivalent to about 60% of Tajikistan’s current electricity production. The bank says the project will help reduce the country’s chronic winter electricity shortages, provide more reliable electricity for around 10 million people, create over 30,000 direct and indirect jobs, and enable electricity exports to neighboring Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Despite the new financing, the project continues to face criticism from environmental groups. The Times of Central Asia previously reported that the World Bank’s Inspection Panel registered a complaint filed by the environmental coalition Rivers Without Boundaries on behalf of downstream communities in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. The coalition argued that the project’s environmental and social assessments were outdated and warned that filling the Rogun reservoir could reduce water flows to the Amu Darya delta, accelerate desertification, increase soil salinity, and affect livelihoods downstream. In June 2025, the World Bank’s Inspection Panel recommended a full investigation. However, in November 2025, the Board of Executive Directors declined to authorize one, saying the complaint did not meet the mechanism’s technical eligibility criteria. Environmental groups criticized the decision. The World Bank has maintained that the project complies with its environmental and social safeguard framework, citing updated assessments, public consultations, and ongoing monitoring.