The quality of atmospheric air in Aktobe has consistently been assessed as unfavourable in recent years. According to RSE "Kazhydromet", almost 5,000 cases of exceeding maximum permissible concentrations (MPCs) of harmful substances were recorded in the city over two years.
As reported by the Project Office for Central Asia on Climate Change and Green Energy, in the last ten years, the air pollution level was assessed as "low" (2015) and "elevated" (2017) on only two occasions. In 2016, 2018–2019 and 2021 it was "high", and in 2020, 2022–2024 it was "very high".
In 2023, stationary monitoring posts recorded 2,616 cases of exceeding the MPC, and in 2024 — 2,342. The main share of pollutants consists of hydrogen sulphide, nitrogen dioxide, nitrogen oxides and carbon oxides.
It is noted that Aktobe is located in the central part of the Poduralsky Plateau and is characterised by a sharply continental climate, which intensifies the impact of industrial and anthropogenic factors on air quality.
The city is a major industrial centre. It is home to the Aktobe Ferroalloy Plant of JSC "TNK Kazchrome", JSC "Aktobe Plant of Chromium Compounds", JSC "Aktoberentgen" and other enterprises.
However, as noted in the monitoring data, the greatest burden on air quality is associated not only with industry, but also with sewage treatment facilities, waste from alcohol production (distillery stillage), the landfill of LLP "Aktobe Taza Kala" and the old municipal waste landfill.
It has become known that observations of atmospheric air conditions in Aktobe are carried out at six stationary posts. At three of them, manual sampling is carried out for 12 indicators, while three automatic stations record data every 20 minutes for seven major pollutants.
To assess air quality, the air pollution index (API), reflecting the level of chronic pollution, and the standard index (SI), showing the maximum one-time exceedances of the MPC, are used. In 2020, 2022–2024, the air pollution level in Aktobe was assessed by the SI in the range from 13.5 to 21.3, which corresponds to the category "very high".