Kazakhstan Environment - The Times Of Central Asia

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Magnitude 7 quake strikes China-Kyrgyzstan border area. Buildings evacuated in Kazakhstan’s biggest city.

At nine minutes past midnight local time on January 23rd, an earthquake with a magnitude of 7 occurred near Almaty. The epicenter of the earthquake was located at a depth of 65 km to the south-east of the city on the border between China and Kyrgyzstan. According to the Emergency Situations Department, the earthquake had a magnitude of 5 MSK in Almaty, and 2 MSK in Shymkent. Thirty minutes after the first earthquake struck, repeated tremors of a magnitude between 2-3 points were recorded. The quake was also felt in Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and China. "Just after midnight we felt swaying and tremors, which was especially frightening considering we live on the 12th floor,” Raushan, an Almaty resident told the Times of Central Asia. “First the bed started to shake, and then I noticed the chandelier swinging violently. We quickly ran out of the apartment taking our passports and wallets. The worst part was that we were left with no communication as we had forgotten our phones, so we couldn’t contact our loved ones. After that, we went to help other residents, especially the disabled people who had a hard time getting down the stairs.” In his address, the head of the city's Emergency Situations Department, Nurlan Atygaev urged citizens not to panic, not to listen to rumors, and to stay on the street until they receive additional instructions. The south of Kazakhstan, including Almaty, is considered a seismically dangerous region. About 40,000 earthquakes have occurred in Kazakhstan over the past five years, indicating a high level of seismic activity, though according to a forecast by the Institute of Seismology of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Kazakhstan, the probability of a major earthquake in Almaty in 2023 was low. The last major earthquake occurred over a 100 years ago. As reported by the Almaty Akimat's press service, as of 17:00 on January 23rd, the earthquake led 67 people, 55 adults and 12 children, to seek medical assistance. Eight of these individuals (three adults and five children) were hospitalized, while the remaining patients underwent examinations and were released for outpatient treatment. Currently, three adults are receiving emergency hospital care, one of whom is in serious condition in the intensive care unit following surgery. Two other patients are in the traumatology and orthopedics department with moderate conditions. Four children - two infants aged six and seven months, along with children aged seven and sixteen years - are undergoing treatment at the Children's Urgent Care Center after suffering falls in their homes. One infant fell from their mother's arms, whilst the other fell from a crib. All of the children are in a stable, moderate condition, and are receiving treatment in the neurosurgery and traumatology departments. In the aftermath of the quake, Bekbolat Bugabaev, head of Almaty's emergency response department, announced a comprehensive disaster relief plan. This strategy will mobilize 55,000 personnel and 9,000 pieces of equipment from across the republic to assist in Almaty. Additionally, the city plans to establish 384 reception...

The Senate of Kazakhstan approves an agreement with France on fighting climate change

Kazakhstan has signed an agreement with France concerning issues related to climate change. This agreement helps Kazakhstan to contribute to the fight against climate change, and provides for joint efforts to implement major projects in the field of renewable energy and sustainable development in the country. One of the biggest initiatives envisaged under this agreement is the Mirny project. Its main goal is to create a hybrid power plant with a total capacity of 1 GW, which will operate using wind energy. This power plant is planned to be located in the Zhambyl region, close to the town of Mirny. This project will be vital in developing energy sources that do not harm the environment.

Akim of Mangystau Calls for Calm after Mass Swan Die-out

On January 18th, the Akim of Mangystau (head of the regional government), Nurlan Nogaev met with environmental activists from Mangystau and ornithologists from Almaty. The main topic of discussion was the pressing issue of the mass die-out of swans on Lake Karakol, as reported by the press service of the Akimat. According to the latest data, as of January 18th the number of dead swans in Mangystau has reached 1,018 birds, 41 of which were found on the seashore in the Karakiyan district, and the rest on the lake itself. According to the biological scientist and ornithologist, Victoria Kovshar, despite the fact that the peak of bird flu has already passed, this figure will only continue to grow. "Bird flu is a phenomenon widespread all over the world. Instances of this disease are regularly recorded on the Caspian Sea, as was the case two years ago when black-footed boobies and Caspian terns died en masse. At the time, it was assumed that the cause was related to oil emissions, but a government commission found that bird flu was to blame. “The virus usually targets certain species of birds, for example, in 2015 there was a bird flu that affected the dalmatian pelican without affecting the pink pelican, which nests with it in the same colonies and is directly related. It follows that the death of swans on Lake Karakol is not a unique case. We can see that mostly young individuals which were unprepared for the winter have died here. This is a natural process that is not subject to manual intervention. Saving swans now is comparable to if you were to confront an avalanche with your bare hands. It is important to prevent the infection of poultry such as ducks and geese, and it should be noted that the virus can remain active in the carcasses of dead birds for a prolonged period of time. However, given the extremely low temperatures on the lake currently, this would not be the case.”[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image="13639" img_size="full" el_class="scond-image" parallax_scroll="no" woodmart_inline="no"][vc_column_text woodmart_inline="no" text_larger="no"]According to the head of the regional territorial inspection of the Committee for Veterinary Control and Supervision of the Ministry of Agriculture, Temirbek Nurtazin, veterinary services are regularly monitoring the epizootic situation among poultry, and as of now no cases have been found among poultry in private farms. Speaking after his briefing, the head of the region, Nurlan Nogaev said he is concerned about the significant number of swan deaths, but urged against an overly emotional reaction. "I thank the experts, Victoria Kovshar and Fedor Karpov, for their active participation in the search for the real cause of swan deaths on Lake Karakol,” Nogaev said. “The situation around this issue is of public interest, and I also express my gratitude to the eco-activists involved in solving the problem. A team of scientists is expected to arrive in the coming months to study the biodiversity of this unique body of water. It is important that experts, including ornithologists, are involved in gathering information.”...

Mass Die-Out of Swans in Mangystau: What are the Causes?

On December 27th, inspectors discovered a tragic picture on the shores of Lake Karakol in the Ustyurt State Nature Reserve, with the lifeless bodies of thirty swans lying on the ground. The Department of Ecology, which analyzed water from the lake, reported that at the time of sampling the maximum permissible concentration of harmful substances had been exceeded. However, the true extent of the situation has since become clearer, and according to updated information 826 dead swans have been recorded in Mangystau, with this figure continuing to rise daily. In the process of monitoring water sources associated with Lake Karakol, having found that permissible pollution levels had been exceeded, an unscheduled inspection of the Rixos Aktau hotel took place. This information was provided by Nurken Sharbiev, Deputy Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and Zhomart Aliyev, head of the Committee for Environmental Regulation and Control of the Ministry. Rixos currently operates 34 hotels and resorts, the majority of which are located in Turkey, Kazakhstan, the UAE and Egypt, and seven of which were developed in partnership with the infamous Bayrock Group.[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image="13641" img_size="full" el_class="scond-image" parallax_scroll="no" woodmart_inline="no"][vc_column_text woodmart_inline="no" text_larger="no"]The Rixos Water World Aktau Hotel is located on the coast of the Caspian Sea, 20 kilometers from the city of Aktau, whilst the protected territory of Lake Karakol is located within the boundaries of the Karagi-Karakol Zoological Reserve, which has republican significance. More than 20 species of birds listed in the Red Book of Kazakhstan and the international list of protected species inhabit this land, including the dalmatian pelican, pink flamingos, and the Savka. At this juncture, the extent of the involvement of Rixos Aktau is yet to be revealed, though the Department of Ecology of Mangystau is probing the hotel’s discharge into the lake. Specialists are currently analyzing samples, and if the results show contaminants the hotel may be fined up to an amount which would depend on the volume and composition of the discharged wastewater.[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image="13640" img_size="full" el_class="scond-image" parallax_scroll="no" woodmart_inline="no"][vc_column_text woodmart_inline="no" text_larger="no"]However, a representative of the public commission tasked with investigating the cause of the mass die-out, Adilbek Kozybakov, posted a different supposition about the reason for the death of the birds on Facebook. "The cause of death is avian influenza, as confirmed by laboratory tests. Viruses of some forms of bird flu can be dangerous to both humans and poultry, but for some reason they still have not declared a quarantine and closed Lake Karakol to visitors. Due to the wide resonance around this topic, different groups of journalists, bloggers, activists and ordinary citizens passing by the lake come to Karakol every day. They walk along the shore, stepping on bird droppings, and can then carry the bird flu virus home," Kozybakov wrote. Kozybakov has suggested that experts from various fields - veterinarians and ornithologists, virologists and bacteriologists, specialists in epizootiology and epidemiology, and local independent biologists and ecologists - should form a commission. "Only through such a body will it be possible to...

Kazakhstan to Plant Forests on a Million Hectares of Former Aral Seabed

On January 8th, the Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of Kazakhstan, Erlan Nysanbayev chaired a meeting on the implementation of instructions from the Head of State to plant saxaul shrub plantations on dried up sections of the Aral Sea. It was stated at the meeting that 500,000 hectares of the former seabed have been included in the lands of the state forest fund, and in 2023 afforestation work began on that area. It was also emphasized that as climatic conditions are changing and the frequency and severity of storms increase, wind-borne salt and dust cause significant damage to areas adjacent to the Aral Sea and their inhabitants. Every year, more than 100 million tons of salt, dust and sand are blown from the bottom of the former Aral Sea and mix into the air. Kazakhstan’s part of the Aral is more saline than its Uzbek counterpart. In order to improve the situation, President Tokayev has set the task of planting saxaul shrubs on 1.1 million hectares by 2025. This project has now been provided with the necessary infrastructure for preparing seeds for sowing and cultivation, and the necessary equipment has been purchased, the meeting heard.[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image="13571" img_size="full" el_class="scond-image" parallax_scroll="no" woodmart_inline="no"][vc_column_text woodmart_inline="no" text_larger="no"]Through joint efforts oy the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources and the administration of the Kyzylorda region, 544,500 hectares of saxaul have been sown over the past three years. This year, it is planned to plant on another 275,000 hectares. As the decimation of the Aral Sea is a global problem, the Ministry cooperates with international organizations, including the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS), the World Bank, the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Korean Forest Service. In the summer and autumn of 2021, specialists from Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan exchanged their experiences in planting saxaul and other trees on the former Aral Sea, and a memorandum was signed for closer cooperation in afforestation of the region.

Kazakhstan Now Chairs International Fund for Saving Aral Sea

From 2024, the chairmanship of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS) has passed to Kazakhstan, after President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev was elected as head of IFAS until the end of 2026, the Kazakh Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation said. The International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea, which includes Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, is engaged in the implementation of joint interstate environmental, scientific and practical programs and projects aimed at saving the Aral Sea and improving the environmental situation in the region, as well as solving common social and environmental problems.[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image="12017" img_size="full" el_class="scond-image" parallax_scroll="no" woodmart_inline="no"][vc_column_text woodmart_inline="no" text_larger="no"]“We are aiming to deepen cooperation both with the states of Central Asia and other international organizations and financial institutions,” said the Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation of Kazakhstan, Nurzhan Nurzhigitov. “This year we plan to begin the second phase of the project to preserve the Northern Aral Sea, implemented together with the World Bank. Saving the Aral Sea is a task that can only be accomplished through the joint efforts of all IFAS founding states. In the next three years, we intend to achieve significant results in this direction.” Speaking in September 2023 in Dushanbe at a meeting of the Council of Heads of State–Founders of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea, Tokayev said that IFAS has become the most important institution facilitating regional cooperation on issues of transboundary water resources sharing, as well as solving environmental and socio-economic problems in the Aral Sea basin. Tokayev also emphasized the need to create a mechanism for long-term and sustainable cooperation for the effective use of water and energy resources in Central Asia, taking into account the interests of all countries in the region. To ensure transparency of water use in the region and strengthen the dialogue and friendship between Central Asian nations, Tokayev proposed the development of a work plan which would introduce a unified automated system of accounting, monitoring, management and distribution of water resources in the Aral Sea basin. Tokayev also called on Kyrgyzstan to resume its full participation in IFAS.