The Small Taldykol lake system in Astana, capital of Kazakhstan, has been destroyed for several years. It happens amid continuous talks about the importance of taking care of the environment. How the capital fights with lakes and for lakes is in the material by CABAR.asia.
Active development of the capital has been accompanied in recent years by protests of urban residents calling on authorities to stop issuing licenses for construction of high-rise buildings. Since 2020, the activists of SOSTaldykol public association have tried to convince authorities of the need to preserve Small Taldykol, where scientists have recorded over a hundred of bird species, including critically endangered species. In 2021, urban residents took pictures of pink flamingos, which flew to Small Taldykol during their migration from the Korgalzhy Reserve. It drew more attention of birdwatchers and other nature lovers to rich flora and fauna of the basin.
Cacaphony
Volunteers have published information in social media about backfilling of the lakes with earth and garbage, while water is pumped out over the past few years. Civil activists could not stop it by letters, appeals to authorities, courts, protests, art protests. Last year, eco-activists recorded only one (number seven) lake left out of seven lakes in the Small Taldykol system.
The desire of authorities to develop the district was so strong that licences for construction of high-rise buildings were issued despite overcrowded schools and policlinics, overloaded sewerage system. Although it seems resource-intensive for laymen, namely draining of lakes for housing construction. Aizhan Atezhanova, representative of Menin Elim Dala public association, can explain this: it is much cheaper for business to destroy lakes than to buy out land plots at commercial prices from private owners and spend money on demolition of existing structures.
“This area is attractive for developers because it is located near the wastewater treatment facility (KOS-1). In fact, it works flat out and fails to treat the amount of wastewater it receives. The promised construction of KOS-2 was never started, but many high-rise buildings are still being built in the city,” Aizhan Atezhanova said.
Residents of houses located near the shores of Small Taldykol started to smell foul smells typical for sewerage. Activists explored the area and arrived at a conclusion that the wastewaters from recently built high-rise buildings are dumped into the lake.
“The department of ecology initiated water probe sampling after our requests. The results provided to me showed the excess of organic compounds – ammonia nitrogen. This is a direct indicator of the presence of household faecal waste in the water – urea and so on. They cannot appear from nowhere,” said Ruslan Urazaliev, scientist, head of SOS Taldykol.
He said that after the results the department of ecology started to check Elorda Eco System, state company responsible for treatment facilities in Astana.
“He assessed the damage and imposed a fine. But the discharge (of waste into water – Editor’s note) still continues,” Urazaliev said.
Authorities: We clean the lake and build the heating main
“Backfilling of lakes leads to unstable ground even if special conditions have been met. The lake system is interrelated by internal beds, and it [lake backfilling] will later lead to imbalance and flooding, serious environmental threats. Astana authorities must be aware of it,” said Murat Kasenov, representative of the initiative group ‘STOP zastroike’ [STOP housing development] of Almaty.
Civil activists believe that future owners, not the authorities of the capital and developers, will have to deal with the consequences of Small Taldykol drainage and building of structures in the area.
“The warranty of new buildings is not so long – two years. All this time developers will pump out ground water from basements and the area. And the fact that everything will continue to break, decay, rust will be the problem of occupants. State bodies will wash hands of such cases. Unfortunately, we have no precedents when someone would be held liable, including for corruption in urban development, including criminal liability, although decision made by officials are disastrous,” Aizhan Atezhanova said.
Activists tell about how Small Taldykol suffers on their social media accounts. Authorities promise that soon there would be some ecopark on its territory, which phase 1 construction would cost 5.4 billion tenge (11.5 million dollars). SOSTaldykol activists do not share their optimism. They say that officials do not provide the public with documentary information about the plans because new high-rise buildings are likely to be built on the lakes along with the park. The akimat explains the active operation of specialised machinery by the need to build the heating main.
“As to the operation of specialised machinery on the plot No. 7: currently TM-3 heating main is being built to ensure safe heat supply of the left bank area of the city according to the project approved by the state expert commission. The area is not backfilled. Works have been done to clear the plot from construction debris and trenching for the heating line. Removal of ground waters is an essential measure during construction of roads, namely before the installation of engineering networks,” akimat (mayor’s office) of Astana replied to the request of CABAR.asia.
The akimat neither confirmed, nor denied the discharge of wastes into Small Taldykol. However, the officials assured they were determined to maintain what was left from Small Taldykol.
“The projects provide for the diverse green planting picked based on the climatic conditions of the area, pedestrian footpaths, water conservation. The request of the Association of Environmental Organisations of Kazakhstan for carrying out public environmental examination under design and estimate documentation ‘Construction of recreational area at the intersection of Syganak, Kazybek Bi and R. Baglanova Streets’ according to the existing environmental law was approved in 2023 to take public opinion and opinion of the expert community into account,” according to the akimat.
Lake turns into a holding basin
According to Aizhan Atezhanova, she asked for a detailed plan of lakes, which now show the signs of sewer waste, from the akimat officials. But they failed to provide the document. But the akimat said they would provide the documents to social activists as soon as amendments would be approved. Every day, foul odours from Small Taldykol are dispersed by the wind across the left bank area of the capital and cause annoyance of urban residents.
“I personally suspect that high-rise buildings are already ‘set’ there (according to the detailed plan – Editor’s note). Maybe, one of the reasons to drain the sewer into the lakes is to make them unfit, and then to justify the backfilling, and then to start the commercial construction of high-rise buildings. It is supposed to be better that holding basins,” said Aizhan Atezhanova.
The capital authorities have quite complicated relations with social activists. Officials say they support the desire of eco-activists to maintain the lakes. But the result of the complex communication is evident: a natural site, which has existed for millenia, is dying in the capital, and authorities declare ‘water conservation’, which can be recognised and interpreted differently.
Everything that happens in Astana has a multiplier effect, according to Ruslan Urazaliev. If we stop fighting for the conservation and recovery of Small Taldykol now, the destruction of wildlife will be practised in other regions as well.
“Our society is evolving. We have a generation that is mature now and ready to fight not only for their rights, but also for public interests, and is willing to do it unreservedly, without any commercial interest,” Ruslan Urazaliev said.
He is aware that lake defenders are in certain ideological confrontation with the akimat.
“This should not happen in a normal civilised society!” Urazaliev said. “The city administration should be in touch with civil activists to see the community spirit, the social welfare indicator.”
Civil activists keep on insisting on stopping the dewatering of the lakes and their contamination. According to experts, even drained lakes can be recovered because they are fed by underground water – only the political will is needed.
“We need to continue the struggle for Small Taldykol. Amid water deficit in Kazakhstan, the consequences of lake destruction are not long in coming,” Murat Kasenov said.
Main photo: sos.taldykol Instagram account