Today in Bishkek, a round table was held on the topic “Smog in Bishkek: will the city be ready for winter?”, where the participants of the event discussed how the Kyrgyz capital can win smog. Representatives of the state bodies of Kyrgyzstan got acquainted with the Russian experience in solving the problem and suggested using real existing practices to improve the environmental situation in the capital – to introduce modern filtration plants, accelerate the gasification of residential areas and increase the initiative of civil society.
The round table was organized by the Information and Analytical Center for the Study of Socio-Political Processes in the Post-Soviet Space (IAC MSU). The event was attended by Russian experts, deputies of the Jogorku Kenesh, representatives of the government of Kyrgyzstan and the mayor’s office of Bishkek.
What is the Russian experience in improving the environmental situation?
Experts and officials from Russia shared their experience in solving environmental problems with colleagues from Kyrgyzstan. Mikhail Makhov, chairman of the committee on ecology and environmental management of the Legislative Assembly of the Chelyabinsk region, said that “to improve the situation in the Chelyabinsk region, the Chelyabinsk city dump, once the largest intracity dump in Europe, was reclaimed, fires in the coal mine were eliminated, and a fleet of buses running on gas motor fuel was created.”
“In the capital of Kyrgyzstan, the air is polluted by the accumulation of vehicles and the heating of a residential area with coal. One of the ways to solve this problem is to gasify residential areas. In the Chelyabinsk region, the level of gasification is 75–77%,” he said.
Yevgeny Malenkin, executive director of the Chelyabinsk regional ecological public organization for air cleanliness control AntiSmog, spoke regarding the control of air purity in Chelyabinsk within the framework of the Clean Air federal program.
“Two stationary observation posts constantly automatically collect samples for nine pollutants. Since 2019, a territorial environmental monitoring system (TSN) has appeared. It constantly monitors the operation of posts and indicators that are recorded on the ground. boundary values of TSN, the impact of fires, accidents is assessed, the source of pollution is searched, a mobile laboratory is sent,” he said.
Ecologist, director of OOO “Modular Systems VINC” Yury Podvintsev spoke regarding air cleaning systems in the industry, which are produced by his company. According to him, such cleaning is very important for metallurgy at different stages of production. For this, circulation systems are used. Technically, they can not only be installed at enterprises, but also adapted to the urban environment.
“Our equipment cleans the air from particulate matter, which is smog. It works on the basis of a dry method, following which there is no need for evaporation and incineration of waste. This is the most environmentally friendly way today. I am sure that these technologies will come to Kyrgyzstan, because we are in a single economic space,” he said.
Smog in Bishkek: who is to blame and what to do?
Representatives of the state bodies of Kyrgyzstan, who were present at the event, became interested in the Russian experience, noted the negative dynamics of the environmental situation in Bishkek and suggested introducing Russian technologies in Kyrgyzstan.
Deputy and leader of the Yntymak faction in the Jogorku Kenesh Marlen Mamataliev stressed that part of the Russian developments will be discussed in parliament. He was interested in industrial treatment plants and the possibilities of their application in the urban environment. Federal projects were considered a good example of concern for nature on the part of the state.
“Already now, a law on combating smog is being prepared in the Parliament of Kyrgyzstan. Earlier, the Parliament adopted a resolution specifying the specific dates of events and the people responsible for them. Now, funds for combating smog have been provided until 2024,” Mamataliyev said.
Medetbek Anarbek uulu, head of the air quality management department of the MPRET, recalled that “in Bishkek, the smog problem is most acute in winter, during the heating season.”
“Pollution is promoted by chaotic construction despite the wind rose of the city, as well as the burning of low-quality fuel by motorists, boiler houses and baths. To counteract the latter, the ministry conducts regular raids,” he said.
According to an expert from Kyrgyzstan, Rasul Umbetaliyev, the main role in the formation of smog in Bishkek is played by the furnaces of the thermal power plant – they account for 50-60% of emissions – and the private sector. The city’s thermal power plants continue to illegally supply Kazakhstani coal, which has an output of harmful volatile substances of 47-51%. There is a corruption component in this, which also needs to be fought. In addition, during the modernization of the CHPP, design and environmental standards were violated.
The expert stressed that the fight once morest smog should be comprehensive and suggested that the representative of the Jogorku Kenesh adopt a constitutional law on environmental standards. Other proposals include banning the purchase and burning of Kazakh coal, whose volatile emissions exceed 40%, at the Bishkek thermal power plant, banning the supply of low-quality Kyrgyz coal, gasifying housing estates and boiler houses in the capitals in five years, building a waste processing plant in two years, and prohibiting traffic diesel vehicles in the center of the capital, within two years to develop and approve the Detailed Planning Plan (RPP) of Bishkek.
Representatives of the Bishkek Mayor’s Office listened to the expert’s proposals and noted examples of Russia’s positive experience in the field of ecology: single waste collection operators, gas-powered vehicles, the introduction of paid parking in the city center and an increase in public transport parks.
Kyrgyzstan – Russia: Solving Problems Together More Efficiently and Faster
Director of the Information and Analytical Center for the Study of Socio-Political Processes in the Post-Soviet Space, Daria Chizhova, noted that “in the modern world, environmental challenges are common and should become the basis for cooperation and joint projects.”
“In the field of ecology, Russia is ready to share its experience and learn from the experience of others. It is important that the problem of ecology does not remain in the air,” she said.
As a result of the round table, representatives of departments and civil society, together with Russian experts, agreed to continue working together to improve the environmental situation in Kyrgyzstan. Representatives of the state bodies of Kyrgyzstan noted that the use of Russian technologies might be effective for the country, and assured that all proposals of the participants in the event would be conveyed to the deputies of parliament and relevant ministries and departments. Plans were made to create a working group on the purity of atmospheric air under the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Republic.
The participants of the event adopted a resolution, recommendations and proposals for improving the environmental situation in Bishkek, which will be sent to the relevant ministries of Kyrgyzstan.
