Deputy to Prime Minister: “We are losing Almaty“

Tengrinews.kz - Mazhilis Deputy Sergei Ponomarev addressed Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov with a request in which he expressed concern about the problems of Almaty.

Ponomarev's deputy request is related to the difficult environmental situation in Almaty.

"Today we are losing one of the most beautiful and soulful cities in the country - Almaty. In 2024, the environmental situation reached a critical level: Almaty entered the top five most polluted megacities in the world, taking fifth place among the 120 largest cities, leading the shameful list of the air quality index. With such a threatening indicator, city residents are advised to limit their time outdoors, and people with increased sensitivity are advised to use protective masks even in everyday life. This is unacceptable for a modern metropolis," said Sergei Ponomarev at a plenary session of the Mazhilis.

As the Mazhilis member said, according to estimates from the World Health Organization, polluted air affects the development of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, including stroke, heart attack, asthma, and lung cancer. Children are especially vulnerable: dirty air reduces immunity, slows down the development of the lungs, and increases the risk of respiratory diseases. The health of millions of citizens depends on the delay in solving this problem.

The deputy admitted that the state is doing a lot: the metropolis is almost completely gasified, and TPP-2 (thermal power plant) promises to switch to gas by the end of 2026. However, measures to reduce harmful emissions are clearly insufficient. For example, gas pollution from cars remains the most acute problem.

"In developed countries, issues of car emissions are solved using modern control methods. The head of state announced total digitalization, it is the best suited for solving the environmental problems of Almaty," Ponomarev noted.

The Mazhilisman said that during his working trip, he visited 19 eco-posts in Almaty, which, although they block all entrances to the city, are ineffective. According to him, each post processes about four drivers daily. At the same time, up to 700 cars enter the city per day.

"Conclusion: either they don't work at all, or they work for their own pockets. And it's not even about replenishing the budget with fines, but about motivating the driver to install a catalytic converter, repair the internal combustion engine, and carburetor, and reduce carbon dioxide emissions to the norm. Eco-posts do not solve the tasks set, this profanation only irritates drivers. At the post in the Karasu microdistrict, three employees who regularly receive their salaries turned on a primitive gas analyzer literally in front of me, saying that it freezes even in modest Almaty frosts. The police themselves complain that they have turned into whipping boys, while people do not repair engines, but only reproach the police for draconian measures, naively believing that at the wave of a magic wand someone will come and solve all environmental problems," the deputy said.

As the deputy explained, the air in Almaty can now not only be seen and tasted but even held in your hands - so concentrated are the harmful substances in it.

"According to official forecasts of urbanists, the Almaty agglomeration will grow to 7.5-8 million people in the coming decades. If we do not take drastic measures, we will get stuck in one big traffic jam and die. Considering the international experience, for example, Beijing, we understand that, alas, bloodless measures will not do. However, we saw clean air in Almaty, it was during the pandemic, which means we can and must do it now," said Sergei Ponomarev.

In his request, the deputy put forward a number of specific demands, including: preparing a complete map of Almaty identifying the main sources of air pollution within 6 months; developing an interdepartmental plan to resolve the environmental disaster in Almaty, including measures to switch to environmentally friendly fuels; eliminating eco-posts and, following the example of developed countries, installing modified video surveillance cameras to record excess emissions into the atmosphere with an automatic imposition of the minimum fine.

Ponomarev also demands tightening the liability of organizations that carry out technical inspection of vehicles for issuing fake technical inspection certificates and legislatively prohibiting the purchase of catalytic converters for scrap.

In addition, the deputy proposes that from 2026, state and quasi-state organizations be allowed to purchase only electric vehicles, and the Almaty Akimat to increase the share of public transport with electric motors; develop a three-year program for the gradual transition of all taxis to electric vehicles; allow the construction of environmentally friendly hydroelectric power plants in the natural and national parks of the city and the Almaty agglomeration.

Previously, Almaty's akimat reported that 500 illegal trading facilities will be closed in the city.