During a briefing at the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, Iskakov revealed that among the 45 industrial cities and megacities in Kazakhstan, several are grappling with severe pollution issues. The cities highlighted include Astana, Almaty, Karaganda, Temirtau, Atyrau, Aktobe, Ust-Kamenogorsk, and Shymkent.
Monitoring efforts to assess the air quality across the country extend to 69 settlements, covering 170 observation points. These include 47 manual sampling posts and 130 automatic observation posts.
Iskakov explained that while industrial activities are the primary cause of air pollution in cities like Karaganda, Temirtau, and Atyrau, Astana and Almaty face significant challenges due to emissions from vehicles.
Citing data from the Bureau of National Statistics for 2023, Iskakov highlighted the substantial number of vehicles in Kazakhstan, amounting to 4,449.3 thousand units, with over 50% being more than 20 years old. In Almaty alone, approximately 600 thousand cars are registered, and over 700 thousand vehicles enter the city daily. Astana, on the other hand, has around 320 thousand registered vehicles, of which half are over 10 years old.
Iskakov further emphasized that a significant portion of vehicles in these cities do not meet EURO 4 and 5 standards, contributing to air pollution. In Astana, only about 28% of registered vehicles comply with these standards, posing a significant challenge to improving air quality.
