Published 21.04.2023 On April 21, 2023, the first interregional forum of environmental initiatives "BIZDIN ASPAN" was held in Ust-Kamenogorsk. The Forum provided a platform for direct dialogue between business, government, experts and environmental activists. Environmental practices from international and domestic experts were presented at the event. The forum participants were representatives of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan, deputies of the Senate of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Akimat of the East Kazakhstan region, RSE "Kazhydromet" and environmental activists. The organizer of the forum is the Kazakhstan Association "ECOJER".
In the forum block "Atmospheric air quality: what kind of problems?" The report was made by the General Director of the RSE "Kazhydromet" Danara Alimbayeva. In her speech, the head of the National Hydrometeorological Service of Kazakhstan spoke about how the quality of atmospheric air is monitored in the city of Ust-Kamenogorsk, told about the air pollution index from 2007 to 2022, dwelled in detail on the number of MPC exceedances in the air over the past three years. In 2020, there were 3,222 cases, and in 2021, 3,984 cases, in 2022, 16,983 cases were recorded! High air pollution is confirmed not only by the readings of the devices of the RSE "Kazhydromet", but also by the testimonies of the citizens of the city, D.Alimbayeva noted.
Danara Alimbayeva also spoke about the trend of wind speed changes for the period from 1973 to 2022, and that windless weather creates favorable conditions for the accumulation of chemicals in the surface layers of the atmosphere, the formation of smog that prevents the dispersion of pollutants.
In her report, D.Alimbayeva noted that on average, the maximum number of days with NMU (unfavorable meteorological conditions) in Ust-Kamenogorsk is observed from January to March and from September to December. Windless weather for a long time creates favorable conditions for the accumulation of chemicals in the surface layers of the atmosphere, the formation of smog that prevents the dispersion of pollutants.
Summarizing her speech, D.Alimbayeva announced that at present, cities and settlements of Kazakhstan are covered by air quality monitoring and are measured using 300 sensors/posts of the public and private network, however, without revising the limit on emissions, smog will continue to cover cities. But without reforming the permit system and the procedure for determining emission standards, unilateral improvement of air quality monitoring will not bring results in reducing air pollution.