Ministry of Ecology starts cleaning Astana reservoir after criticism from Tokayev

Photo by MENR press service

The Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources has started cleaning the Astana reservoir after criticism from the President, Tengrinews.kz reports.

According to the ministry, the Astana reservoir was built in 1970 and has not been cleaned so far. This is the only reservoir supplying the capital with drinking water. The total volume of the reservoir is 410.9 million cubic meters. The current volume is 312.36 million cubic meters.

"Two years ago RSE "Kazgidromet" conducted a bathymetric survey and found that 46.7 million cubic meters of the reservoir is made up of bottom sediments: silt and sand. That's 30 percent of the reservoir. The water demand in 2023 is 97 million cubic meters. Of these, 46 million cubic meters have been used, until the end of the year there is a need for an additional 51 million cubic meters," the ministry said.

According to the department's forecast, if the population of Astana reaches 2 million in 2030, 150 million cubic meters of water will be needed. In order to increase inflow to the Astana reservoir, it is envisaged to construct facilities for its recharge from the Satpayev canal to the Yesil river bed with clearing and dredging. At present, the work on development of design and estimate documentation is in progress.

"Before starting cleaning works, first of all, divers should determine what exactly is collected on the bottom. According to experts, depending on climatic conditions, taking into account the fish spawning period,
the cleaning process may take at least 10 years, as it is possible to work only 5 months a year", - noted in the Ministry of Ecology.

Recall, Kasym-Jomart Tokayev criticized the Ministry of Ecology during a meeting on the development of the capital on July 11. He noted that the capital is completely dependent on the Astana reservoir. There are no other sources of water, which is extremely risky, he said.

"The reservoir is heavily polluted, and this is happening in front of the eyes of the specialized ministry ... All works should be carried out immediately.... Astana has no other sources of drinking water supply. It should be recognized that this situation did not arise yesterday, it has been developing for more than one year. Earlier, the Ministry of Ecology was instructed to carry out a comprehensive work to provide the city with water. However, there are still no results. Even proposals to solve the problem have not been developed. I repeat once again: the relevant department should take concrete measures," the President said at the time.

Photo by the press service of the MENR

Source: Tengrinews.kz