Kazakh woman outraged by piles of trash at popular reservoir

Tengrinews.kz - Kapshagay Reservoir, one of the most visited leisure spots near Almaty, is facing growing environmental problems as large piles of trash continue to accumulate along the shoreline. Local residents say the situation has worsened noticeably over the past months.

What locals report

A reader from Almaty contacted the Tengrinews editorial WhatsApp line, sharing photos and videos of the polluted areas. Olga, who often practices stand-up paddleboarding on the reservoir, says waste can be found along nearly every popular section of the coast.

“I want to draw attention to the state of the shore: from Lev Gory, a popular recreation area, all the way to the ‘Karlygash’ café near the dam, the entire coastline is covered in trash. Bottles, cans, bags and even fishing bait containers interfere not only with rest, but also with filming,” she said.

Olga noted that she regularly picks up trash in the places she visits, but the scale of the problem makes it impossible to manage alone.

“I don’t have a car or the means to clean everything on my own. People keep leaving waste, and sooner or later it will all end up in the water. Some parts of the shore include abandoned, unfinished buildings that have turned into dump sites and makeshift toilets,” she explained.

According to her, several sections of the coastline have become full-scale illegal dumps.

“People use these structures as toilets. The entire area is covered in garbage,” she said.

Beyond the trash, Olga is also concerned about the local ecosystem. She found a significant number of large mussel shells along the shore — up to 8–10 centimeters in length. These mussels had previously disappeared from the reservoir, she says, but have recently reappeared.

“There are almost none left now. People collect them and throw them away. They dry out and can’t be saved,” she added.

Olga believes that stricter coastal protection is needed: eco-patrols, real fines rather than symbolic ones, and directing collected funds toward cleaning and maintenance.

Response from the akimat

Tengrinews sent an official inquiry to the akimat of Konaev city.

In their response, officials said a large community cleanup will be organized in the near future, and the polluted areas mentioned by the reader will be included in the list of locations scheduled for cleanup.