KAZAKHSTAN ENVIRONMENT UPDATE; FEBRUARY 28

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ALMATY 000965

SIPDIS

TASHKENT FOR EPUTNAM

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ECON SENV ENRG EPET KZ ECONOMIC
SUBJECT: KAZAKHSTAN ENVIRONMENT UPDATE; FEBRUARY 28


1. Summary: This information is drawn primarily from the
Kazakhstani press and has not yet been verified. The
opinions expressed in this report, therefore, should not be
interpreted as official positions and/or policy of the U.S.
Government.

-- New National Park Established in Southern Kazakhstan Oblast
-- Epidemiological Situation Bad in Kazakhstan
-- Kazakhstan Prepared to Effectively Counter Bird Flu
-- IT Park near Almaty to Manufacture Affordable PCs
-- The Northern Aral Has Been Saved!
-- KazSat Launch Scheduled for June 8, 2006
-- Parliament to Approve KZ's Adherence to the Kyoto Protocol
-- Dialogue about Shared Water Resources in CA Should Proceed
-- Almaty on the List of 30 Dirtiest Cities in the World

New National Park Established in Southern Kazakhstan Oblast
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2. A new national park is being created in Southern Kazakhstan
Oblast. Known as the Sairam-Ugamskiy National Park, it will
be the ninth national park in Kazakhstan, covering an area
of 150,000 hectares in Kazygurt, Tolebi and Tyulkibas.
Special attention will be given to critically endangered
species such as the snow leopard, Tyan-Shan bear and others.
The goal is to preserve the biodiversity of the unique
natural complex, as well as its ecological and scientific
value. (Interfax-Kazakhstan, February 4, 2006)


Epidemiological Situation Bad in Kazakhstan
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3. According to the Vice Minister of Emergency Situations Valery
Petrov, Kazakhstan's current epidemiological situation is
deteriorating due to serious defects in the medical services
activities of the Sanitary & Epidemiological Service. 3,100
people suffered from dangerous communicable diseases in
2005, including 2,525 adult and 408 child brucellosis
infections. The situation is worst in the Southern
Kazakhstan (947),Zhambyl (615),Kyzylorda (434),and Almaty
(384) oblasts. Kazakhstan's medical services also reported
one cholera, 6 malaria and 8 Siberian plague cases last
year. Additionally, 120 cases of food poisoning were
reported, resulting in 9 deaths. MES recommends that the
Health Ministry toughen requirements and increase
epidemiological surveillance. (Interfax-Kazakhstan, February
9, 2006).

Kazakhstan Prepared to Effectively Counter Bird Flu
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4. The Kazakhstani Health Ministry stated that the republic has
taken all requisite measures to fight the bird flu. First
Vice Minister of Health Aikan Akanov stated during a
February 8 press conference in Astana, "We are well-
prepared. The World Health Organization has hailed our bird
flu preparedness plan as the best and most effective. We
have received supplies of Tamiflu, which today are in demand
worldwide." (Interfax-Kazakhstan, February 9).

IT Park near Almaty to Manufacture Affordable PCs
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5. A new IT Park located in a special economic zone in the Alatau
suburb near Almaty will begin manufacturing affordable PCs
this May, the State Agency for Informatization and
Communications (AIC) chair Askar Zhumagaliev announced. He
told journalists after the agency's February 24 session in
Astana that "the IT park will provide joint venture
opportunities for Kazakhstan with Indian and Chinese
partners to produce computers and accessories. Their cost
will hopefully not exceed $350-400." The AIC chair stated
that the IT Park "is funded exclusively by private
investments from companies that intend to manufacture PCs in
the tax-free zone." (Interfax-Kazakhstan, February 24,
2005).

The Northern Aral Has Been Saved!
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6. This statement was made recently by representatives of
Kazakhstan's Committee for Water Resources and Kazakhstan's
Permanent Representative of the World Bank, Loui Brephor.
Despite the fact that the project regulating the bed of the
Syrdarya River and the Northern Part of the Aral Sea had
been projected to take five to ten years, the northern part
of the Aral Sea is already full. Within six months, the
surface area had increased by 33% and the volume by 10km3.
According to the Chair of Water Resources Committee, A.
Ryabtsev, the water is now only 10km away from the town of
Aralsk, compared with 75-80km previously. There is
currently so much water in the Northern Aral Sea that
Kazakhstan is obliged to release water from the Kok-Aral dam
and allow it to flow south. (Novoye Pokolenie, February 17,
2006)

KazSat Launch Scheduled for June 8, 2006
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7. KazSat, Kazakhstan's first satellite launch, has been
tentatively scheduled for June 8, according to a
notification posted February 7 on the official website of
the Khrunichev Space Center. According to the statement,
tests are being carried out in compliance with
recommendations from an interdepartmental commission in
order to "evaluate the circuit and engineering schematics
approved during the KazSat's design stage, as well as the
adjustments made during ground tests." A Proton-M booster
rocket is planned to carry the KazSat satellite from the
Baikonur Cosmodrome. (Interfax-Kazakhstan, February 8, 2006)

Parliament to Approve Kazakhstan's Adherence to the Kyoto Protocol
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8. The Kazakhstani Parliament is ready to approve Kazakhstan's
adherence to the Kyoto Protocol and recommends that the
government introduce a draft law on ratification by the end
of 2006. In greenhouse emission volume, Kazakhstan ranks
third in the CIS after Russia and Ukraine, while the
temperature on the territory of Kazakhstan has increased by
1.3C degrees during the last century. World-wide disasters
are predicted following temperature increases of 10%,
however the relationship between greenhouse emissions and
global warming has not yet been proved. According to
Environmental Minister K. Mukhamedzhanov, participating in
the global ecological agreement will at the very least force
natural resource users to introduce ecologically clean and
modern technologies. Following the ratification of the
international document, Kazakhstan will undertake
obligations to reduce emissions by 340 million tons a year
between 2008 and 2012. (Express K, Kazakhstanskaya Pravda,
Egemen Kazakhstan, February 25, 2006)


Dialogue about Shared Water Resources in CA Should Proceed
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9. At a recent meeting between CAREC representatives and a
European Commission delegation representing Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, Ambassador Andrian van der Meyer
noted the importance of further cooperation in solving the
ecological problems of the Ile-Balkhash basin. The
possibility of China increasing water extraction from the
Ili River feeding Lake Balkhash is quite real. China
currently withdraws 4.42 m3/sec of water. According to
experts, withdrawal of 10 to 15% of the water volume would
result in the shallowing and salinization of the unique
lake. Therefore the regulation of these issues requires
participation of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and China. Malik
Burlibayev, manager of the "Development of the plan of
integrated management in the Ile-Balkhash region" project,
reported that project participants are making efforts to
draft and sign an international agreement between the three
countries based on an ecosystems approach. (Kazakhstanskaya
Pravda, February 25, 2006).

Almaty is on the List of 30 Dirtiest Cities in the World
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10. Almaty has recently won a spot on the list of the 30 dirtiest
cities in the world, primarily due to a sharp increase in
exhaust gases. To improve the situation, Almaty Akim
Imangali Tasmagambetov has made a number of proposals to the
government including: banning importation of vehicles seven
years old or older; equipping vehicles with catalytic
converters; and toughening certification requirements for
petroleum products. (Kazakhstan-1, Channel 31, KTK, Almaty,
February 7, 2006; Interfax-Kazakhstan, February 8, 2006)

ORDWAY