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Kostanay Oblast
2015 2016 2017 2018 5,3 8,4 7,4 9,4 8,5 Discharge of pollutants by enterprises - 2018-2019 2018 46 997 102 201 9 46 711 102 Volume – wastewater discharge – 1000 m 3 Volume – pollutant discharge - kt The region has 310 rivers and watercourses with a length of more than 10 tokilometers, 21 rivers with a length of more than 100 kilometers and two rivers with a length of more than 500 kilometers. 11 reservoirs with a total volume of more than 1490 millioncubic meters, the largest reservoirs are Verkhne-Tobolsk and Karatomarskoye. Domestic wastewater discharge in 2018–2019 201 8 19 145 12 201 9 19 019 11,9 Volume – wastewater discharge – 1000 m 3 Volume – pollutant discharge - kt The total oblast land area is 19.6 million hectares. Category Agricultural land Residential land Land zoned for industrial, transport, communications, defense, and other non-agricultural purposes Protected nature preserves Forestland Surface water lands Undesignated Reserve Land 2018 10 645 1 558 131 746 453 67 6 000 2019 10 551 1 558 131 742 452 68 6 097 Distribution of land by category - thousands of hectares - 2018–2019 Monitoring of radioactive gamma contamination of the surface layer of the atmosphere in the oblast was carried out daily at six meteorological stations located in the cities of Zhitikare, Karamendy, Karasu, Karabalyke, Kostanae, and Sarykole with four automated posts in Kostanay and Rudny. Measurements reveal that the average values of the gamma background, gamma emissions and radioactive fallout in both 2018 and 2019 were within normal limits. Pollutant emissions from stationary sources by volume, kilotons - 2018–2019 Substance Sulfur dioxide Nitrogen dioxide Suspended solid particulate Carbon monoxide 201 8 22,6 3,7 52 18,1 201 9 25,1 6,9 55,5 19,7 Category III and IV radioactive hazards employed in industry and medical services are located within the oblast. No accidents involving radioactive materials were recorded in the oblast in 2019. 2019 Unusable land, unavailable due to extreme pollutant concentration and other distress Of these, restored distressed land 37 793 13 849 Distressed land in the region - 2019 hectares ( ) In 2019, 40% of solid waste disposal facilities conformed to environmental and sanitation requirements; in 2018, 35.6%. In 2018, environmental emission permits were issued for 34 household waste landfills; in 2019, an additional landfill permits were issued. All regional landfills are owned by registered companies or individuals. There are more than 200 renewable energy facilities located in the oblast, 100 of which were installed in 2019. Sewage treatment plants in the oblast have been in operation since 1966 and are outdated. Wastewater treatment technologies fail to meet modern standards. To keep the plants functioning, modernization work is currently underway. Currently, the issue of reconstruction and wastewater treatment facilities in 53 cities in Kazakhstan is under consideration - a project valued at 328 billion Tenge. In the Kostanay Oblast this includes facilities in the cities of Kostanay, Lisakovsk, Zhitikara and Arkalyk. Mining, thermal power generation and motor vehicle exhaust are the principal sources of air pollution in the region. Around 75 % of all emissions from regional enterprises originate at the Sokolov-Sarbai Mining and Processing Production Association, JSC – the oblast's largest mining operation. TBRU, JSC— 13% The oblast's largest thermal energy plants use natural gas – a significant positive contributor to local air quality. Two exceptions are the CCGPO, JSC thermal power station and Arkalyk Thermal which uses fuel oil. Intergas Central Asia, JSC — 8 % Kostanay Minerals, JSC — 2 % Regional industries are working to reduce emissions with four large enterprises lowering emissions by the following percentages: Varvarinskoye, JSC — 40 % Overall, in 2019, 346,000 tons of pollutants were emitted into the atmosphere, 21% of which came from industries and 79% from motor vehicle engine exhaust. Kazhydromet conducted periodic monitoring of the air quality in the cities of Lisakovske, Zhitikare, Arkalyke, Zarechnoe and Druzhba villages – measurements revealed pollution levels that exceed established norms. Air pollution levels, regional residential areas – 2018-2019 Kostanay Rudny Karabalyk 201 8 4 2 1 201 9 4 2 1 Populatedpoint Number of air quality control posts Pollution level 201 8 Elevated Low Low 201 9 Low Low Low Regional air pollutant concentration exceedances of established norms – 2018-2019 Suspended solids (dust) Nitrogen dioxide Sulfur dioxide Hydrogen sulfide Nitric oxide Ozone 201 8 - 1,68 - 1,41 - - 201 9 5,1 1 8,2 7 4,1 4,2 Substance Lisakovsk Zhitikara Arkalyk Zarechny Druzhba 201 9 1,4 1,1 3,3 8,6 2,3 2 201 9 - 3,8 1,3 2,6 3,5 1 201 9 5,5 2,4 2 4,6 7,1 3,7 201 8 - - 1,03 1 - - 201 9 1,8 4,3 2,9 1,9 - - Regional Gasification Coverage Year Settlements with access to natural gas Gas line installation Gas consumption 13 additional rural locations are set to be gasified by the close of 2021. 70 3 602 km 870.4 million m 2 70 908 3 km 86 2 8 . million m 2 Water quality monitoring of regional surface waters was carried out at 11 bodies of water. Characteristic Class 4 5 >5 Water source Water quality – Surface bodies of Water in the Oblast - 2019 Suitable only for irrigation and industrial use. Extensive treatment methods are required for household use and as drinking water. Not recommended for recreation and tourism use. Suitable only in hydroelectric power generation, mining, and water transport. Not recommended for all other uses. Non-standardized class. Exceeds all class 5 guidelines. Lowest rated. Karatorgai and Uy rivers, Jogargy Tobyl Reservoir Ayet and Togyzak rivers, Karatomar and Amankeldy reservoirs Tobyl, Obagan, and Zhelkouar rivers, Shortanda Reservoir Emergency and unauthorized wastewater discharges - 2018–2019 2018 7,6 0,01 2019 391 0,006 Volume – wastewater discharge – 1000 m 3 Volume – pollutant discharge - kt Groundwater quality controls were carried out on 389 wells at 24 locations with no changes observed in either groundwater mineralization or chemical composition of a background or technogenic nature. Elevated levels of nitrogen elements were noted at some locations, a change attributed to household pollution. To reduce levels of wastewater discharge regional enterprises increase technical water reclamation and reduce groundwater intake. Mining enterprises reduce quarry water use for worksite and dumping irrigation and dust suppression. Regional water supply and sewerage - 2018–2019 Aggregates Settlements with centralized water supply Settlements with decentralized water supply (wells) 201 8 180 346 2019 183 316 In 2019, exploration and testing procedures revealed groundwater reserves in 64 of 70 sites tested in rural areas. There are 379 groundwater deposits in the region with daily reserves exceeding 1 million m . 3 The principal causes of pollution in regional rivers are naturally occurring events. Cases of elevated and extremely elevated pollution levels, regional rivers - 2019 Jelcuar R . 4 - Elevated pollution Extremely elevated pollution Tobyl R . 24 1 Obagan R . 14 1 Ayet R . 3 - Togyzak R . 2 - Volume of distressed land and land restored for agricultural production in hectares - 2013–2019 2017 710 201 8 0 201 9 0 2016 601 2015 730 20144 966 2013 250 Land seizures for land-use violations - 2018-2019 Commercial land, hectares Agricultural land, thousands of hectares 201 8 46,3 289 2019 12,5 92,6 Year Mining Prospecting Mining and prospecting Groundwater 2018 18 30 8 5 2019 18 30 8 6 Subsoil use contracts - 2018–2019 Solid mineral resources Common mineral resources Year Mining Prospecting Mining and prospecting Unrelated to prospecting or mining activity 2018 41 3 1 1 2019 36 1 1 1 Excessive heavy metal concentrations in regional soil samples Kostanay Rudny Arkalyk Lisakovsk Zhitikara Varvarinka 45,54 30 45,2 15,4 37,4 13,5 5 30 14,2 8,9 2,6 2,7 City / settlement Lead (MPC32 mg/kg) 15,3 22,1 30,2 28,3 15 12 Heavy metal Copper (MPC 3 mg/kg) Zinc (MPC 23 mg/kg) 11 companies are engaged in forestry management, security and cultivation in the oblast. In 2019, more than 1500 hectares of tree plantings were seeded; around 1800 kilograms of seeds were harvested for the purposes of reforestation and afforestation; over 11 million pine and birch seedlings were cultivated for seeding; around 86,000 hectares of forested area was surveyed; 196 ant colonies were relocated; 250 birdhouses were hung. Square 191,381 gectar 489 766 gof ectars 76 800 gof ectars 1650 gof ectars 29 344.1 gectar 35.5 gectar PA Naurzum Nature Reserve Altyn Dala Nature Reserve Mikhailovsky Nature Reserve Tounsor Nature Reserve Jarsor-Urkash Nature Reserve 10 Nature Preserves Oblast Nature Reserves In addition to these 15 Nature Reserves, a portion of the Kyrgyz- Torgai-Zhylynshyk ecological corridor occupying an area of 2,007,582 hectares is situated within the oblast. Eight eco trails have been developed and maintained in the Naurzum Nature Reserve. In 2019, 42 forest fires were registered in the region covering more than 2,000 hectares. In 2018, forest fires burned 1454 hectares. 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 219,7 225,7 227,1 229 230 232 241,2 Oblast forested area, hectares – 2013-2019 Oblast forestlands, hectares - 2018-2019 State Forestland 1 144 222 2018 2019 Forested area 239 955 State Forestland 1 144 255 Forested area 241 280 In 2019, 1377 raids were conducted by forest, wildlife and nature preserve departments, revealing 107 environmental violations. In 2019, 676 kilometers of new mineralized strips were installed for forest fire prevention and a further 51,000 kilometers of existing strips were refreshed. 3,443,584 tons of household waste were accumulated in the region in 2019 Solid household waste generation and processing – kilotons - 2017-2019 2017 2018 2019 435 250 260 0,93 9 10,1 Year Volume of generated waste, kilotons Percentage of generated waste sorted & recycled Five recycling processing plants producing more than 10 different types of products from recycled materials are operating in the oblast. 2018 264,8 2019 268,4 Regional industrial waste volume – kilotons -2018-2019 Sorting facilities for household waste have been introduced in nine oblast regions and 26 settlements at designated sorting sites at landfills. Also installed in the oblast were more than 1800 containers for sorted waste collection - plastic, glass, paper, tin products - and145 containers for the collection of obsolete mercury lightbulbs. Oblast firms engaged in the collection, utilization and processing of recyclables receive EPR program subsidies. Between 2017-2019, four enterprises received subsidies totaling 86.7 million tenge. The oblast has one toxic waste landfill - the Kyzbel tract in the Naurzum district. In 2019, Sharua LLC installed equipment for safely shredding and recycling plastic toxic waste containers allowing a significant reduction of waste buried in the landfill. Satellite imagery provided by Kazakhstan Garysh Sapary, JSC identifies locations of spontaneous landfills in the oblast; of these, 141 were cleaned up in 2019. Since 2015, an organic waste facility processing into biogas with a capacity of 0.3 MW has been in operation in the oblast. Work is underway to construct a large 50 MW wind farm; with building scheduled to commence in 2022. The project envisions the construction of 16 windmills, each at a height of 110 meters. Environmental safeguards cost to business enterprises ( ) billions of Tenge Air Water Land resources Biodiversity Waste Renewable energy sources Radiation situation Environmental Issues
This interactive report was created by the Ministry of Ecology, Geology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan with the support of the European Commission, the United Nations Environment Programme, and Zoï Environment Network.