Air quality monitoring is carried out at five fixed locations and with the aid of a mobile laboratory. These reveal that the air in both Atyrau and Kulsary is heavily polluted.
In 2019, two gasification projects were completed: "Construction of main and inter-settlement high- pressure gas pipelines with a length of 365 km" and "Construction of intra-settlement gas pipeline lines for 10 settlements". A project is also being implemented for the gasification of 13 small settlements, five of which have already been gasified, and design and cost estimates have been developed for the gasification of the remaining eight rural locations. In 2019, work was carried out on nine investment projects proposed by KazTransGas Aimak JSC. Gasification is complete in 136 of 150 settlements of the oblast.
Discharge of pollutants by enterprises - 2017–2019
| 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | |
| Volume – wastewater discharge – 1000 m3 | 5 011 | 7 190 | 7 190 |
| Volume of pollutants, kt | 7,3 | 13,2 | 13,2 |
The oblast has 4 large and 9 small rivers, all originating either in the neighboring Aktobe region or on the territory of the Russian Federation. In order to preserve water resources, in 1992 an agreement on the joint use and protection of transboundary bodies of water was enacted between Kazakhstan and Russia. On September 26, 2019, a Kazakhstan- Russia commission for the joint use and protection of water bodies was held in Atyrau.
Domestic wastewater discharge - 2017–2019
| 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | |
| Volume – wastewater discharge – 1000 m3 | 13 395 | 10 089 | 6 783 |
| Volume of pollutants, kt | ееее | ееее | 7,8 |
Distribution of land by category – thousands of hectares - 2017–2019
| 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | |
| Agricultural land | 2 523 | 2 663 | 2 983 |
| Residential land | 1 247 | 1 258 | 1 217 |
| Land zoned for industrial, transport, communications, defense, and other non-agricultural purposes | 674 | 218 | 221 |
| Protected nature preserves | 157 | 157 | 157 |
| Forestland | 53 | 53 | 56 |
| Surface water lands | 19 | 19 | 21 |
| Undesignated reserve land | 7 066 | 7 371 | 7 085 |
| Total | 11 739 | 11 739 | 11 740 |
In the oblast in 2019, 35 companies were engaged in common mineral extraction at 94 deposits - clay, sand for construction, sand-gravel mix, mudbrick, salt, limestone, gypsum and sand. In 2018, 59 companies were engaged in mining operations at 82 locations.
Oblast forestlands comprise more than 52 thousand hectares with > 15,000 hectares of forest. To preserve current forest stock and promote further growth, reforestation efforts are underway. In 2018-2019, 158 hectares of forest were planted, and 320 acres were worked to promote natural growth.
Gamma radiation levels in the region were monitored at 3 meteorological stations and 1 automatic monitor; radioactive contamination of the surface layer of the atmosphere was monitored at 1 weather station. All indicators, including values for daily radioactive fallout, were within normal limits.
The oblast is in the process of introducing sorted household waste practices: public information is being distributed on separating household waste; sorted waste containers are being installed. In 2019, 96 plastic waste containers were installed in Atyrau.
For the development of renewable energy in the oblast district of Isatay, a wind power plant was constructed for a cost of over 12B Tenge; it is comprised of 36 wind turbines with a capacity of 52.8 MW.
In 2019, in the oblast more than 160 000 tons of pollutants were emitted into atmosphere; in 2018, the volume of emissions amounted to more than 170 000 tons.
Pollutant emissions from stationary sources - 2017–2019.
| 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | |
| Sulfur dioxide | 65 | 51 | 48 |
| Nitrogen oxides | 15 | 17 | 22 |
| Suspended solid particulate | 4,2 | 3,2 | 3,6 |
| Carbon monoxide | 52 | 51 | 44 |
| Hydrogen sulfide | 0,2 | 0,2 | 0,2 |
In 2018, 32 cases were filed in court on unauthorized use of land; in 2019 there were 16 similar claims. Over the two-year period, 29 claims were concluded and, in 2018, 38.5 hectares of land were seized; in 2019, more than 25 thousand hectares of land were seized.
The oblast has 51 medical facilities and 25 production enterprises which possess a total of 423 sources of ionizing radiation in their inventories.
In 2019, in Atyrau were recorded 758 separate incidents of high pollution and 60 incidents of extremely elevated pollution levels. The pollution source was identified as hydrogen sulfide emanating from the Tukla Balka filtration field and Kvadrat sludge site.
The following large industrial enterprises play a significant role in air quality: Tengizchevroil LLP, Intergas Central Asia JSC, KazTransOil PF, Embamunaigas JSC, Atyrau Oil Refinery LLP, Atyrau Heat and Electric Power Plant JSC.
Monitoring of water quality was carried out on four oblast rivers: the Zhaiyk, Sharonova, Emba and Kigash. According to the Unified Classification of Water Quality, all four rivers are rated at a Class 5 pollution level. In 2019, the Emba River exceeded the maximum allowable concentration of manganese. The North Caspian Sea water quality was monitored at 24 coastal stations; all indicators fell within acceptable norms.
45% of the territory of the city of Atyrau and 30% of the territory of the village of Balykshi are covered by centralized sewerage networks. To address the issue, in 2019 sewer construction was begun on the city's left-bank; design and cost estimates are being developed for the "Reconstruction of sewage treatment facilities in right-bank Atyrau" project.
In spring and autumn in Atyrau and at five locations of the North Caspian soil heavy metal concentrations were monitored. With the exception of a single measurement exceeding norms in autumn 2018, zinc and copper levels in 2018 and 2019 in the Atyrau soil were within allowable guidelines.
The greatest number of plant and animal species in the region are found in the Akzhaik State Nature Reserve. It is home to 48 species of mammals, 65 species of fish, more than 3,000 species of invertebrates, and 227 species of plants. Of these, 36 species of birds, two animal species, three plant species, and five species of fish are included in the Kazakhstan Red List.
The oblast has three protected natural preserves: the 62,600 protected hectare preserve of the northern Caspian Sea region; Novinsky State Nature Reserve – 45,000 hectares; and Akzhaiyk State Nature Reserve – 111,500 hectares.
To develop eco-tourism on the Akzhaiyk Reserve, four eco-trails have been developed. In 2019, the park saw over 1,500 visitors.
The Zhaiyk River and the northern Caspian Sea coastal area are home to 292 species of birds: 110 species nest in the area, 76 winter here, 106 species are found only during migration periods.
Number of animal species in the Akzhaik State Nature Reserve (2017-2019)
| 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | |
| Saiga | 14 630 | 14 646 | н/д |
| White-tailed Eagle | 38 | 81 | 94 |
| Common Crane | 579 | 859 | н/д |
| Wild Boar | 164 | 220 | 240 |
| Wolf | 22 | 23 | 58 |
| European Hare | 78 | 87 | 84 |
| Fox | 98 | 74 | 62 |
| Common Raccoon Dog | 226 | 186 | 182 |
| Badger | 59 | 60 | 64 |
| Muskrat | 6 800 | 6 600 | 6 350 |
The Institute of Nuclear Physics state enterprise conducts comprehensive annual monitoring of the old Azgir test site and its adjacent territories. In 2018- 2019, the situation in the monitored territories was stable.
More than two million tons of refuse are accumulated at 86 oblast household waste landfills; of these, only 22 meet current environmental standards. To reduce the amount of stored waste, refuse sorting conveyers are being built. In 2019, over 10% of all household waste was sorted.
The Atyrau landfill has a sorting facility which receives 50 tons of waste for sorting and processing daily. In the Zhylyoi district, the Zhylyy Tazalyk company is constructing a waste reception and sorting facility and a separate facility for secondary sorting, treatment, and disposal of waste. In Kulsary, EcoCity XXI, LLP has invested 250 million Tenge in the construction of a modern complex for the reception, processing and sorting of solid household wastes. The facility began working in September 2019 and now annually accepts 30,000 tons of waste for sorting and additional processing.
In 2019, 469,000 tons of hazardous waste and 180,000 tons of non-hazardous waste were generated in the oblast – a 33% reduction in comparison with 2018 totals.
90 damaged oil wells were identified in the oblast; 61 pose no danger; 13 were demolished at a cost of over 300 million Tenge. Liquidation of remaining wells continues though funding for the work has yet to be secured.
180 self-draining water wells were discovered in the region, 57 of them to be restored, 123 to be demolished. Design and cost estimates for the demolition of 60 wells has been drawn up. Plans foresee an expenditure of more than 840 million Tenge on well demolition.
To provide drinking water for the oblast, construction of a water pipeline accessing the Kokzhide aquifer. Over 10B Tenge have been allocated for this project.
The water level in the Zhaiyk (Ural) and Kigash rivers is dependent upon on operations of large reservoirs and hydraulic structures located in Russia where the rivers originate. With each year, river volume drops; in 2019, of flow in the rivers falls. In 2019, it amounted to just over six cubic kilometers, down from the more than 11 cubic kilometers as measured in 2017. To address the issue, the river channels are cleaned cut to a greater depth at a cost of over 4B Tenge between 2017-2019.