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Ecology

Kyrgyz Deputy Maripov Proposes Moving Capital Away From Bishkek

Jogorku Kenesh (Parliament) deputy Bakytbek Maripov has proposed moving Kyrgyzstan’s capital away from Bishkek, presenting the idea during a parliamentary session on January 22. Maripov argued that even radical measures to improve Bishkek’s infrastructure - such as reforming the city’s management system or developing transportation networks - would be insufficient to solve its persistent issues with smog and traffic congestion. The deputy suggested that relocating the capital could offer an effective long-term solution, particularly when viewed in the context of large-scale investment opportunities. He cited a comparison of major infrastructure costs: for instance, the construction of the planned city of Asman on the coast of Issyk-Kul is already drawing $10 billion in investments. Meanwhile, relocating Bishkek’s railroad infrastructure would cost $550 million, and building a ring road around the city would require approximately $1 billion. “If the capital were moved, the problems of traffic congestion and air pollution could be avoided,” Maripov emphasized. Although the proposal to move the capital remains at an early stage, it has sparked significant debate among lawmakers and the public. Bishkek’s Challenges: Traffic and Smog Bishkek is grappling with severe traffic congestion and air pollution, which are fueling calls for drastic action. According to data from the 2GIS navigation service, residents spent 777 hours stuck in traffic during July, August, and September of 2024. In October, congestion levels in the city reached nine out of 10 points. The primary factors contributing to traffic jams include a surge in the number of vehicles, insufficient road capacity, and inefficient traffic light management. The city’s air pollution problem is equally pressing. In November 2024, Bishkek ranked among the top 10 most polluted cities in the world. Key sources of pollution include emissions from motor vehicles, the use of low-quality fuels for heating private homes, and unfavorable meteorological conditions that trap pollutants. Government Efforts and Public Concerns Authorities have introduced several initiatives to address Bishkek’s environmental and transportation challenges. In January 2025, the Jogorku Kenesh discussed measures aimed at reducing smog and alleviating traffic congestion in both Bishkek and Osh. However, despite ongoing efforts, the situation remains critical, underscoring the need for a comprehensive and systemic approach to improving urban infrastructure and environmental conditions. While the idea of relocating Kyrgyzstan’s capital is far from finalized, it has already opened up discussions about long-term solutions to Bishkek’s chronic problems. For now, the debate continues as the city’s residents and lawmakers consider the potential benefits and challenges of such a monumental shift.

Air Pollution

Kyrgyzstan’s Capital Grapples with Smog: Minister Outlines Pollution Sources and Plans for Cleaner Air

On January 20, Kyrgyzstan’s Minister of Natural Resources, Ecology, and Technical Supervision, Meder Mashiev, addressed parliament to discuss the sources of air pollution in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan. Citing studies conducted by international organizations, Mashiev broke down the contributors to Bishkek’s smog, as reported by 24.kg. According to the minister, the primary sources of air pollution in Bishkek are: Burning of coal: 40% Exhaust gases from motor vehicles: 30% Smoke from the Bishkek Thermal Electric Power Plant: 15% Windborne dust: 13.5% Mashiev highlighted that efforts by the government in 2024 have led to improvements in air quality, based on data from the Hydrometeorological Service. However, he noted that Bishkek experienced its worst smog levels during 2021-2022. One of the key issues contributing to air pollution is the absence of catalytic converters in 85% of vehicles operating in Kyrgyzstan. Catalytic converters are critical for reducing the toxicity of vehicle emissions by converting harmful compounds into less hazardous ones. With over 600,000 registered vehicles in Bishkek — nearly double the city's road capacity of 350,000 — the Ministry estimates that motor transport accounts for 27% of the city's total air pollution. During the parliamentary session, parliamentary deputy Balbak Tulobayev proposed several measures to address the smog problem: Replace domestic coal: Prohibit the use of low-calorie, high-ash Kara-Keche coal in Bishkek and switch to high-calorie Kazakh coal, potentially reducing smog by 30-40%. Accelerate gasification: Attract additional companies, such as those from Azerbaijan or Iran, to expand gasification in Bishkek. Currently, Russia’s Gazprom is the only provider of natural gas in the city. The MP estimates this could reduce smog by another 30%. Improve public transportation: Construct a subway or monorail system in Bishkek to reduce reliance on private vehicles. Ban polluting vehicles: Restrict vehicles without catalytic converters from entering the city. Air pollution remains a persistent issue in Bishkek, a city with over one million residents. The problem worsens in the winter, as household coal burning for heating intensifies. Bishkek frequently ranks among the world’s top 10 most polluted cities on IQAir's global air quality index. To improve air quality, the government has outlined a comprehensive plan for 2024-2025, which includes the following measures: Transition to cleaner coal: Provide households with high-calorie coal that emits fewer pollutants. Modernize the thermal power plant: Replace outdated filters at the Bishkek coal-fired power plant and work toward converting it to natural gas. City planning for air circulation: Develop an architectural plan to enhance air movement in Bishkek. Expand gasification: Continue gasification of residential neighborhoods to reduce reliance on coal. Improve urban infrastructure: Construct transport interchanges and multi-level parking lots to ease traffic congestion. Promote public transport: Increase the attractiveness of public transportation and develop infrastructure for electric vehicles, including charging stations. Green belt initiative: Create a green belt in and around Bishkek to improve air quality and provide natural barriers to pollution. Air pollution in Bishkek is a complex and longstanding issue driven by coal burning, vehicle emissions, and outdated infrastructure. While the government has...

Air Pollution

Choking on Smog: Kazakhstan’s Ust-Kamenogorsk forced to suspend in-person schooling amid rising air pollution

The city of Ust-Kamenogorsk in eastern Kazakhstan has once again found itself at the center of an environmental scandal, with polluted air and unfavorable weather conditions causing deteriorating health among its citizens and forcing schoolchildren to move to distance learning. Smog in the city: complaints and consequences In the last week of November, unfavorable weather conditions hit Ust-Kamenogorsk, aggravating the problem of air pollution. Citizens complained of worsening health: headaches, nausea, vomiting, coughing, and fever. Children, who have to breathe polluted air on their way to school, are particularly affected. Parents have repeatedly expressed their outrage, demanding action. In response to the latest complaints, the authorities transitioned some 53,000 of the city's schoolchildren to distance learning on November 28-29. This marked the first time in the city's history that education was suspended due to the environmental situation. Weather forecasters say that the unfavorable weather conditions will continue until at least the end of November. This means that Ust-Kamenogorsk residents will continue to suffer from smog, and children will probably remain in distance learning. Environmentalists weigh in Azamat Tauyrbekov, head of the Department of Ecology for the East Kazakh region, said that environmental agencies are working hard these days, conducting air measurements throughout the city. However, inspections of enterprises are complicated by bureaucratic procedures: access to production facilities requires an official application with evidence of violation. On November 28, joint inspections took place at two large enterprises in the region: Kazzinc and an oil extraction plant. So far, the results of the inspections have not been published, but activists and citizens continue to insist on the need for more transparent controls over emissions. Citizen frustration boils over Residents of Ust-Kamenogorsk are discussing the air pollution situation on social networks, sharing their complaints and worries. In comments on the Instagram platform one can see messages such as: - "It is impossible to breathe, even at home." - "My head hurts, I feel weak, feverish, have a sore throat, watery eyes, stuffy nose." - "How is it possible to poison almost 400,000 people? We pay taxes to be destroyed?" - "There is a taste of metal and acid in my mouth." Despite the fact that the problem has become a reason for creating memes and jokes about smog, reactions such as these reveal the deep dissatisfaction and anxiety of the city's residents. People are starting to openly demand that authorities strengthen control over emissions from enterprises and take real measures to improve the environmental situation in the city.

Air Pollution

Report Addresses Air Pollution in Almaty

On October 30, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Kazakhstan, together with the Urban Center of Almaty Management University, presented the results of their joint efforts within the Green and Safe Streets Initiative, which aims to address air pollution in Kazakhstan’s largest city, Almaty. This initiative is part of the regional City Experiment Fund program funded by the Ministry of Finance of Slovakia. The Green and Safe Streets Initiative included three interrelated clusters of activities: a social impact campaign, tactical urban actions on Berezovsky, Turgut Ozal, and Kazybek bi streets in Almaty, and the installation of air pollution measuring devices, which resulted in the development of methodological recommendations. These actions helped identify further steps to address the complex challenge of improving air quality in Almaty. The actions and approaches implemented within the City Experiment Fund framework are expected to help reduce air pollution by increasing green spaces, introducing energy-efficient technologies in the housing sector, improving infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists, and prioritizing public transport. According to IQAir, Almaty, along with the industrial city of Karaganda, has the highest level of air pollution in Kazakhstan and is among the 25 most polluted cities in the world. The primary sources of air pollution in Almaty are motor vehicles and private-sector and municipal heating that burns coal. During the winter, Almaty is covered by a deep smog that causes severe health problems and a high prevalence of respiratory diseases in the local population. According to an Asian Development Bank report, the decline in Almaty’s air quality is attributable to the city’s population growth, rapid urbanization, inefficient public transportation, and heavy reliance on coal for power generation and residential heating. The city’s valley setting exacerbates these factors, creating ideal conditions for solid temperature inversions during the late fall and winter that trap pollutants in the lower atmosphere. Additionally, the ADB report concludes that the city’s low wind speeds cause pollutants to accumulate and recirculate at the city's surface level.

Ecology

New Report From World Bank Condemns Tashkent Air Quality

A new World Bank report entitled "Air Quality Assessment for Tashkent and the Roadmap for Air Quality Management Improvement in Uzbekistan" gives a frightening assessment of the air quality in the country’s capital. The report finds that ambient PM2.5 concentrations in Tashkent, which peak in winter, substantially exceed international air quality standards. The annual average concentration exceeds six times the WHO’s average yearly guideline of 5 µg/m3. In Tashkent, PM2.5 ambient air pollution has considerable health and economic costs. It can be linked to health costs equivalent to 0.7% of Uzbekistan’s gross domestic product (GDP). Most air quality-related diseases and premature deaths in Uzbekistan and worldwide are linked to PM2.5, which the World Health Organization (WHO) has identified as the pollutant with the gravest health risk. According to IQAir, Tashkent, like other Central Asian cities, frequently ranks among the world's most polluted urban areas. According to the report, the primary sources of human-caused PM2.5 pollution in Tashkent are the heating (28%), transport (16%), and industrial sectors (13%). Cross-boundary sources like windblown dust (36% PM2.5 pollution) dominate in the summer, while commercial and residential heating is the primary source of PM2.5 pollution in the winter. The report’s AQM roadmap for Uzbekistan formulates priority actions such as updating air quality standards and legislation, developing a national AQM strategy and coordination mechanism, and taking measures in the industrial, transport, and heating sectors, which are most responsible for air pollution. The AQM roadmap recommends investments in emission reduction measures. The roadmap suggests that emissions from the heating sector can be reduced by improving the quality of fuels used and the efficiency of heating appliances, implementing energy efficiency measures, and switching to cleaner heating alternatives. At a government meeting on October 9, Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev reviewed a draft master plan for the city of Tashkent until 2045. Today the population of Tashkent is more than 3 million people, and it keeps growing. Over the past ten years, the average air temperature in Tashkent has increased by 1 degree Celsius. The number of cars is rising, and traffic is becoming increasingly congested. The new master plan takes these aspects into account. It plans to increase green areas in Tashkent and its suburbs threefold to 25,000 hectares, which will increase per capita green area from the current 3 to 6 square meters. Mirziyoyev emphasized the need to turn Tashkent into a city where at least 7.5 million people can live and work.

Air Pollution

Air Pollution Linked to One in Five Infant Deaths in Central Asia

According to a report by UNICEF, an estimated 6,441 children and teenagers died from causes attributable to air pollution in 23 countries across Europe and Central Asia in 2021. Statistics show that 85% of the children died in the first year of their lives, and one in five infant deaths were linked to air pollution. As stated in the report, “Most deaths were attributed to ambient and household fine particulate matter air pollution (PM2.5). And all of these deaths were preventable." In 2021, the region's children and teenagers lost more than 580,000 years of healthy life (DALYs) as a result of premature death and disability caused by air pollution. Compared to other environmental factors, including high temperatures, unsafe water, and poor sanitation, polluted air has been found, by far, the most life-threatening. Exposure to PM2.5 air pollution is also associated with higher rates of miscarriage, early fetal loss, preterm birth, and low birth weight and in pregnant women, increases the risk of gestational diabetes, high blood pressure, and postpartum depression. By restricting fetal growth, air pollution can significantly increase the risk of disease, heart defects, pneumonia, asthma, eczema, allergies, and high blood pressure. Even before birth, air pollution can harms a child’s lungs, brain, and organs, affecting cognitive development and raising the risk of respiratory diseases throughout the child's life. Since children breathe more air relative to their body weight, they absorb more pollutants than adults, and for this reason, newborns are especially vulnerable to pneumonia, a leading cause of infant death. Air pollution in Europe and Central Asia, especially from PM2.5 and PM10 particles, is mainly caused by the use of fossil fuels in homes, businesses, and institutions. Coal is especially harmful to children’s health. Energy sources vary between and within countries depending on power supplies and infrastructure. High levels of air pollution from the use of coal for residential heating in winter, coupled with the interaction of ambient air pollution with indoor air pollution in homes, schools, health care facilities, etc., are cited by UNICEF as the primary sources of exposure for children. UNICEF notes the importance of the region's governments and institutions focusing more attention and resources to air pollution prevention, energy efficiency, clean energy use, supporting clean air measures, and protecting children from exposure. The organization also emphasizes the need to develop air quality warning systems and corresponding action plans for schools and kindergartens in Europe and Central Asia. Last but not least, as a measure to improve air quality, UNICEF recommends enhancing data collection to better understand local pollution, campaigns promoting clean energy and energy efficiency in homes, and a strict smoking bans in indoor public spaces. High levels of air pollution observed in Central Asian countries is ongoing and the subject of several articles previously covered by The Times of Central Asia.