Almaty | Greensalvation | Страница 2

The Ecological Society “Green Salvation” was addressed by a group of citizens living in the city of Almaty on Raiymbek street. The people were concerned that their rights on favorable environment were violated because of construction of a State veterinary laboratory (contractor – “Almatyenergoresurs” LLP) which was taking place on the territory of their private land lots next to their houses.

The construction works started in July 2009. We conducted a relevant inspection and determined the following:

1. According to the standard design, the complex includes a laboratory building, vivarium, and crematorium. The site’s primary purpose is to “diagnose extremely dangerous diseases of animals listed and approved by the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan”, including the diseases which can be transmitted to humans (anthrax, murrain, brucellosis, rabies, and others). The research is to be performed for the whole Almaty oblast (region) and the city of Almaty. The crematorium is to burn the corpses and tissues of dead animals. Existing standards require such enterprises to have a sanitary protection zone (Sanitary Rules and Norms 8.01.001.04), at a minimum, of 50 meters from the constructed site.

2. The laboratory site construction works are conducted in an immediate proximity of the residential houses, at a distance of 5 meters. This fact was documented.

3. The project of the construction is not agreed with the local residents. There is no any evidence of accounting the public opinion or conducting of public hearings, in compliance with the requirements of the legislation on architectural and construction activities.

4. There are no documents proving that the public opinion was accounted, nor that the public had an opportunity to participate in the decision-making process related to the site development, which violates the Environmental Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

5. There is no conclusion of the state environmental assessment on the project of the veterinary laboratory construction, which is also a violation of the Environmental Code.

6. In violation of the indicated legislation, the initiator of the construction works did not even inform the people whose interests were directly affected by the intended activity, did not involve the public into discussion about the planned activity, did not consider the public opinion, which is a violation of the principle of publicity of the environmental assessment.

7. The project of construction of the veterinary laboratory is not approved by the official authorities, which violates the Law «On Architectural, Urban Planning and Construction Activities in the Republic of Kazakhstan»

8. The development works are conducted with severe violations of the construction, sanitary, and environmental norms. The Department of the State Architectural and Civil Engineering Control does not supervise the construction.

9. Lack of the required sanitary and protection zone already causes a significant damage to the property of the local residents. Access to the people’s houses is blocked which makes it impossible for them to use their cars. In order to get home, the people have to pass the construction site. At the present time, the site is being developed by heavy vehicles, which is associated with a constant noise, spreading dirt, and dust dispersing over the yards of the claimants and over the neighboring streets.

10. All these violations are excused by a necessity to undertake measures for organizing a system of sanitary and epidemiological well-being of the population, veterinary medicine and plants quarantine, in compliance with the agreement signed with the World Trade Organization about application of the sanitary and phyto-sanitary measures.

11. There are two ways of solving the issue:
— strategic solution: relocate the dangerous site outside of the city limits;
— tactic solution: move the 5 families out of the sanitary and protection zone of the dangerous site.

August 17, 2010.

Translated by Tairova Sofya.

The Ile-Alatau National Nature Park — one of two thousand parks worldwide — is quite young. The park is turning ten years old in February of 2006 year.

The park is located on the northern slopes of the Zailiisky Alatau and is a favorite relaxation spot for Almaty residents and guests of the southern capital.

The park’s main attraction is its untouched nature.

The national park was created not only to preserve the beauty of the Zailiisky Alatau. The mountains are the “green heart” of an enormous territory in which more than two million people reside.

Zailiisky Alatau provides the southern portion of Almaty Oblast with water resources and, first and foremost, high quality drinking water. It is an invaluable gift of nature of which many inhabitants of Kazakhstan’s steppe and desert zones are deprived.

The mountain forests regulate the water flow, enriching the air with oxygen and phytoncids. They protect the slopes from rain and wind streams, slow the melting of the snow, transfer surface runoff into the soil, and impede the formation of mudslides and soil erosion. These quality forests are of paramount importance and are worth more than stockpiles of timber!

The mountain breezes (winds) descend onto the plain, creating air movements in the city of Almaty, producing a foothill climate zone.

Zailiisky Alatau’s biological diversity is a most valuable resource that ensures the development of future generations and enables the preservation of the genetic roots of various species.

A thousand years of agricultural activities by nomads in Zailiisky Alatau has not disturbed the environmental balance. However, over the last one hundred years, the nature of a number of canyons surrounding the city of Almaty have changed significantly as a result of the advent of industrialized civilization and environmental pollution. At present, this factor poses the greatest threat to the environmental value of the park system.

For the time being, we are still able to admire the beauty of the park and use its rich resources!

Yet with each year, the threat that humans will destroy this unique nature is greater.

The pollution of the air basin, forests, lakes, rivers, springs and wildlife habitation spots has assumed an ominous scale: the melting of glaciers is accelerating, forests are perishing, the number of floods is increasing, the quality of drinking water is deteriorating, and there are fewer and fewer birds and wild animals in the park.

The destruction of the park’s nature has intensified as a result of violations to the law “On Environmental Protection”, uncontrolled agricultural activities, unorganized tourism, a lack of financial resources for conservation efforts, and an elementary lack of culture on the part of visitors to the park.

The park’s unique nature and its cultural landscape are of value for all humanity. In order to preserve the park for current and future generations, in 2001 the government of Kazakhstan placed the park on the preliminary inventory of locations put forth for inclusion in the List of World Heritage Sites.

Will the park preserve its beauty and riches for all humankind and future generations or will it become yet another reminder of human ignorance, indifference and greed? The answer lies not only in the actions of the government, but in each one of us.

As the remarkable nature explorer Jacque Yves Cousteau one stated, “People protect what they love”. Thus, the Ecological Society “Green Salvation” promoted the creation of the Ile-Alatau National Park and contributed all available resources to furthering its development.

We appeal to all Kazakhstanis to value and protect the country’s natural riches in order to proudly transfer this invaluable legacy to future generations.

Photos taken by A.Jdanko, S.Kuratov, I.Manuilenko.