Earlier, Majilis deputy Sergey Ponomarev proposed preparing a detailed map of Almaty within six months that identifies the main sources of smog.
According to calculations, Almaty emits 189,012.1 tons of pollutants annually. Of these:
- road traffic — 112,735 tons (60%) including incoming vehicles;
- stationary sources from industrial enterprises — 52,137.9 tons (27.5%);
- individual residential houses and baths — 21,274.3 tons (11%);
- small and medium businesses — 1,419.9 tons (0.74%);
- construction sites — 1,445 tons (0.76%).
“The calculations have taken into account the influence of the suburban zone of the Almaty agglomeration (to a depth of 7–10 km). Considering these areas, the total volume of gross emissions exceeds 225,000 tons of pollutants,” stated Bektenov in response to the deputy's inquiry.
In response to the deputy's demand to create a separate map of the main pollution sources, the Prime Minister declined, noting that a consolidated volume of maximum allowable emissions has already been developed.
“The air can now not only be seen, tasted, but even held in your hands, such is the concentration of harmful substances in it. According to urbanist forecasts, the Almaty agglomeration will grow to 7.5-8 million people in the coming decades. If drastic measures are not taken, we will be stuck in one big traffic jam and perish. Considering the experience of cities like Beijing, we understand that unfortunately, we cannot avoid drastic measures,” Ponomarev previously stated.
At the beginning of this year, Almaty topped the live ranking of the most polluted large cities in the world.