Primary pollutant emissions by volume, tons - 2018–2019
2018 | 2019 | |
Sulfur dioxide | 25 100 | 26 800 |
Nitrogen oxides | 6 600 | 8 200 |
Suspended solid particulates | 25 600 | 23 200 |
Carbon monoxide | 13 600 | 13 800 |
Pollutant emissions, tons - 2017–2019
2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
76 400 | 75 500 | 74 700 |
There are 13,800 stationary sources of
atmospheric emissions in the oblast.Energy production and motor vehicle
emissions are the principal sources of air
pollution in the oblast.
49.9% of all pollutants from stationary
sources are emissions from the Thermal
Power Station #2 in Petropavlovsk.
Air quality monitoring was carried out in the city of Petropavlovsk at two Kazhydromet posts.
Residential air pollution levels, Petropavlovsk – 2018-2019
City | 2018 | 2019 |
Petropavlovsk | Elevated pollution levels | Low level of pollution |
Air quality expeditionary observations were also carried out by Kazhydromet in the towns of Taiynsha, Saumalkol, Bulaev and the village of Beskol; there were no elevated pollution levels recorded in any of the settlements. No cases of elevated or extremely elevated levels of pollution were recorded in the region in 2018-2019
Gasification in the oblast is maintained with liquefied natural gas.
Liquefied natural gas (LNG) consumption in the oblast, tons - 2018–2019
2018 | 2019 |
56 300 | 50 000 |
In 2019, LNG cylinder equipment was installed on 1700 cars.
Water quality control monitoring within the oblast was conducted on Yesil River and the Sergeyevsky Reservoir.
Water quality – Surface bodies of Water in the Oblast - 2019
Класс | ||
Yesil River | 4 | 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. |
Sergeyevsky Reservoir | 4 |
Domestic wastewater discharge - 2018–2019
2018 | 2019 | |
Domestic wastewater discharge - 2018–2019 Volume – wastewater discharge – 1 000 m3 | 803,4 | 801,98 |
Volume – pollutant discharge - kt | 0,95 | 0,9 |
Surface water resources in the oblast are comprised of the Yesil River and its tributaries Akkanburluk and Imanburluk; the Sileta, Shagalaly (Chaglinka), Kamys Akti, Ashchysu, and Karasu rivers; and 2328 lakes. Territory covered by lakes in North Kazakhstan comprises 4.6% of the oblast—among the highest totals in the nation. The oblast has a significant number of rivers, the largest of which is the Yesil—a fresh water source.
Discharge of pollutants by enterprises - 2018-2019
2018 | 2019 | |
Volume – wastewater discharge – 1000 m3 | 8 624,9 | 8 398,5 |
Volume – pollutant discharge - kt | 8,2 | 7,9 |
Emergency and unauthorized wastewater discharges – 2018-2019
2018 | 2019 | |
Emergency and unauthorized wastewater discharges – 2018-2019 Volume – wastewater discharge – 1 000 m3 | 5,33 | 153,9 |
Volume – pollutant discharge - kt | 0,012 | 0,25 |
The oblast has over 2300 lakes, 395 of which are locally monitored fisheries.
The total oblast land area amounts to 9.8 million hectares.
Distribution of land by category – thousands of hectares - 2018-2019
Category | 2018 | 2019 |
Agricultural land | 7 155 | 7 199 |
Residential land | 983 | 989 |
Land zoned for industrial, transport, communications, defense, and other non-agricultural purposes | 70 | 72 |
Protected nature preserves and historical/cultural sites | 135 | 135 |
Forestland | 550 | 550 |
Surface water lands | 142 | 142 |
Undesignated Reserve Land | 770 | 717 |
Land under lease from the Pavlodar Oblast | 5 | 5 |
At the start of 2019, the oblast held 3933 hectares of distressed land; no distressed land was recultivated during 2019.
Soil samples were collected in Petropavlovsk in spring and autumn 2019 and tested for heavy metals concentrations. 2018 soil samples of the area revealed exceedances of copper, cadmium and chromium; 2019 samples revealed exceedances of copper.
Land seizures for land-use and zoning violations, hectares by category - 2018-2019
Destination | Number of plots | Hectares | ||
2018 | 2019 | 2018 | 2019 | |
Commercial and residential land | 7 | 17 | 12,17 | 26,63 |
Agricultural land | 6 | 8 | 3 523 | 7 528 |
Total | 13 | 25 | 3 535,17 | 7 554,63 |
Regional Subsoil Usage - 2018–2019
Name of the indicator | 2018 | 2019 |
Total subsoil enterprises | 59 | 59 |
Mineral ores mined, kilotons | 118 | 0 |
Groundwater extracted, kilotons | 5 000 | 4 500 |
The State Departments of Ecology, Internal Affairs and the Environmental Protection Administration have developed a blueprint of Joint Measures to Curb Illegal Subsoil Use in the North Kazakhstan Region, 2018-2019.
There are 12 preserved forestland nature sites in the oblast
Forestry | Area, hectares |
Serebryany Bor (Silver Pinelands) | 83 |
Pinelands Forest | 36 |
Zhanazhol Pinelands | 9 |
Eagle Hill and Springs | 3 |
Imantau Lake and Cossack Island | 36 |
Sopka Obozrenie (Scenic View Rock) | 3,1 |
Kotelok Rock Formations | 3,3 |
Ancient Virgin Forest | 2 |
Two Brothers Hill | 10,5 |
Steep Hill | 3 |
Waterfall Cave | 0,5 |
Split Hill | 2 |
Regional forestry preservation activities, hectares - 2018–2019
Reforestation, total area | Seedings, total area | Land prep for natural reforestation, total area | |
2018 | 1 680 | 743 | 680 |
2019 | 1 423 | 740 | 940 |
The oblast is home to four species of game animals, four species of hoofed animals, 12 species of fur-bearing animals and 14 species of finches and waterfowl.
Regional forest fires - 2018-2019
2018 | 2019 | |
Number of fires | 14 | 25 |
Territory damaged by fires, hectares | 34 | 62 |
Fire damage, Tenge | 1 511 290 | 3 305 400 |
The most common causes of forest fires:agricultural burns lightning strikes human negligence of fire safety
Regional species included in the Red List Book of the Republic of Kazakhstan, totals - 2019
European Pine Marten | 1 522 |
Common Crane | 9 128 |
Лебедь-кликун | 6 894 |
Whooper Swan | 2 170 |
Little Bustard | 809 |
Dalmatian Pelican | 433 |
Golden Eagle | 72 |
White-tailed Eagle | 56 |
Eurasian Eagle-owl | 50 |
Osprey | 17 |
Eastern Imperial Eagle | 82 |
Oblast forestlands - 2018-2019
2018 | 2019 | |
National forestlands | 689,6 | 689,6 |
Of these, forested area | 537,2 | 540,4 |
Logging and timber stock - 2018-2019
2018 | 2019 | |
Timberland harvested, hectares | 8 586 | 5 254 |
Timber stock, 1000 m3 | 522 | 496 |
Monitoring of radioactive gamma contamination of the surface layer of the atmosphere in the oblast was carried out daily at two meteorological stations in the cities of Petropavlovsk and Sergeyevke. Measurements reveal that the average values of the gamma background, gamma emissions and radioactive fallout in both 2018 and 2019 were within normal limits.
In 2019, 74,600 tons of household waste were generated in the oblast.
Percentage – oblast household waste recycling - 2018-2019
2018 | 2019 |
7,6 | 10,1 |
Industrial waste generated in the oblast, kilotons - 2018-2019
2018 | 2019 |
1 150 | 1 400 |
There are 17 licensed household waste landfills in the region, the largest of which serves Petropavlovsk, and handles household waste and non- hazardous industrial waste.
20 enterprises are engaged in the region in waste collection, sorting, processing and disposal.
Waste sorting installations in Petropavlovsk: around 800 containers for the collection of plastic, wastepaper, glass, and tin cans; containers for the collection of wastepaper at nine schools; around 800 eco-boxes at other institutions; 13 containers for the collection of electronic waste; nine recycling centers are operating in the city. Installed in outlying oblast district centers - 36 containers for sorted household waste collection and 49 containers for mercury bulbs.
In 2019, Green Park Kokshetau, LLP launched a facility with an annual processing capacity of 3,000 tons of PET containers into raw materials (flex).
In 2020-2021, it is planned to build a wind farm with a capacity of 50 MW in the village of Saumalkol.
The region has 154 renewable energy facilities with a total capacity of 60 MW.
Regional electricity generation by renewable sources, million kWh - 2018-2019
2018 | 2019 |
20,7 | 21,5 |
In 2019, two wind generators with a total capacity of 2 MW began operating in the village of Novonikolskoye.
Five exhausted uranium deposits were retired in the oblast, but due to a lack of site security, between 2014- 2018, security fences were destroyed or dismantled, buried communications lines were unearthed, retired structures were damaged and/or scavenged for building materials. Radiation monitoring revealed excessive gamma radiation levels. To address the issue, in 2019, an Action Plan was developed to restore security fences and enclosures of retired uranium mine deposits and facilities in the oblast and conduct a full-scale cleanup of the affected territory. Going forward, the Akimats of the Aiyrtau Distict and Musrepov District will oversee the mines' security and maintenance. Kazhydromet will conduct daily monitoring of gamma radiation levels at the site.
There is in inadequate number of licensed landfills in the oblast resulting in frequent spontaneous landfills (fly-tipping). In 2019, the oblast had 863 spontaneous landfills; 100 were cleaned up. 61 million Tenge have been allocated from Oblast funds for the issuing of landfill permits.
The burning of household waste at Petropavlovsk landfills is a significant environmental problem. 4 inspections were carried out in 2018-2019, citations and cleanup orders issued, 5 fines imposed.
Small towns and rural centers in the oblast have outdated and exhausted Soviet-era sewage lines. A sewage treatment reconstruction project begun in 2005 lies uncompleted due to lack of funding.
Petropavlovsk has experienced excessive hydrogen sulfide emissions from the disappearance of the ice sheet covering the Bioprud wastewater facility. The Department of Ecology has purchased a GANK-4 unit to monitor and prevent excessive emissions; in 2019, the water level in the Bioproud pond was reduced in an effort to limit putrefactive processes and silt formation.