At the informal urban event “Shaarkana”, experts spoke regarding the priority measure in the fight once morest smog, how to insulate houses and discussed the mechanisms for stimulating insulation from the state. This was reported by the press service of the eco-organization “MoveGreen”
According to her, the UNDP / UNEP study in the Kyrgyz Republic in 2022 proved that stove heating of the residential sector makes the largest contribution to the formation of smog during the heating period. By 2022, up to 50 new buildings of private households have formed around Bishkek, as well as houses within the city, which are mainly heated with solid fuel.
Other sources of smog are smoke from thermal power plants and boiler houses, a smoky landfill, regarding half a million cars in Bishkek, 94% of which, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources, Ecology and Technical Supervision of the Kyrgyz Republic, are at the limit of resource development, fires, open ground dust and more.
According to the analysis of the air quality monitoring data by Kyrgyz Hydromet and independent monitoring, the air is also polluted in summer, according to the analysis of the MoveGreen NGO. In the summer of 2021, Bishkek residents breathed “clean” air for only 5 days. The warm season is characterized by air pollution with dangerous gases like nitrogen dioxide.
According to Maria Kolesnikova, head of the MoveGreen NGO, it is necessary to focus on stimulating the insulation of private houses, as this will increase the efficiency of any type of heating. “The problem is not the lack of generated energy, but the fact that we are losing it. According to experts, up to 70% of heat escapes through uninsulated walls, ceilings, floors, windows and doors. At the same time, gasification of residential areas should not be a priority type of heating from – due to the lack of resources in the country, high prices for the construction and installation of equipment, as well as rising prices for natural gas,” Kolesnikova said.
At the moment, energy efficiency and thermal insulation are not popular and it is necessary to conduct an information campaign at the national level, promoting and educating the population to reduce the consumption of heat and electricity.
“Experts call energy efficiency the 5th fuel and promote the prioritization of thermal insulation through the municipal and state Energy Efficiency Revolving Fund. This measure will not only make a practical contribution to improving air quality, but also reduce the load on heating networks in an energy crisis, as well as reduce greenhouse emissions accelerating climate change processes,” the eco-organization said in a statement.
