On 8 December, Almaty experienced rainfall which left dark marks on clothing due to polluting particles that had accumulated in the air. Residents shared photos of stained clothes on social media.
According to the Kazinform news agency, residents of Almaty claim they have encountered such a phenomenon for the first time. It is noted that the dirty rain fell in various districts of the city.
The Department of Ecology confirmed the fact that dark marks appeared after the rain, attributing it to the natural process of particles being washed out of the atmosphere.
“In recent weeks, the city of Almaty has seen a prolonged absence of precipitation. As a result, an increased amount of pollutants—dust, soot, emissions from vehicles and industrial enterprises—has accumulated in the atmosphere. Calm and inversion weather conditions contributed to their build-up in the surface layers of air. Yesterday’s rain was the first after a long dry period and, as a so-called ‘first cleansing rain’, washed a significant amount of these particles out of the air,” the department believes.
The department also explained the mechanism behind the appearance of black spots on clothing.
“During precipitation, raindrops capture dust and soot present in the atmosphere and carry them to the ground. Therefore, dark marks can be noticed on light-coloured clothing, windows, or car bodies—this is a normal physical phenomenon,” the statement says.
The Department of Ecology asserts that such rain contains no impurities other than those which residents already breathe daily.
“This does not mean the rain is toxic, but it indicates a high concentration of pollutants in the air, particularly fine particulate matter PM2.5 and PM10. Rain indeed washes pollutants out of the atmosphere—this is a scientifically confirmed process called ‘wet deposition’. Dark spots form due to settled particles of dust, soot, and vehicle emissions that have entered the raindrops,” the department stated.
Ecologists have found no signs of danger to human life from the recent precipitation. As noted, acid rain shows characteristic signs—odour, corrosion of metals, burns on plant leaves, and other effects. In this case, none of these have been observed.