Pollutant emissions down 18% in Kazakhstan

According to the speaker, as a result of the environmental monitoring, out of 45 Kazakh cities, high pollution levels are observed in nine. Among them, Nur-Sultan, Almaty, Karaganda, Temirtau, Atyrau, Aktobe, Balkhash, Ust-Kamenogorsk, and Shymkent. The city of Zhezkazgan has been in the category of cities with the medium level of air pollution since the year’s beginning.

«In the first half of 2022, the total volume of pollutant emissions has made 0.9mln tonnes. This is 18% less than in the same period in 2021. Air pollution causes may be divided into three groups. For example, heat and power plants, transport and private residences are the biggest contributors to air pollution in Nur-Sultan and Almaty cities. In Ust Kamenogorsk and Temirtau, the lion’s share of emissions comes from industrial facilities, while worn out wastewater treatment facilities are the main causes of high level of pollution in Aktobe and Atyrau,» said Zholdassov.

16 roadmaps providing for 485 measures to address environmental issues have been developed. Over two years, 96 measures out of planned 188 have been fulfilled. Such measures include construction of a wind power plants, transition of boilers to the use of gas as a fuel, building new solid waste management polygons, and so on.