Less than a month after the publication of the article about financial irregularities at the Akmola branch of the RSE "Kazvodkhoz", the FB RK editorial team once again received reports from anonymous sources. This time, the reports concerned alleged new incidents at the same organisation — the disappearance of expensive equipment and the same unfinished dormitory that had already featured in our previous investigations.
According to sources, in May 2025, at the No. 12 treatment pumping station in the village of Akylbai, Burabay district, two pumping units went missing. Furthermore, the dormitory for shift workers, which had already been subject to proceedings, is allegedly still in an unsatisfactory condition. The FB RK editorial team sent an official request to the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation asking for clarification.
The ministry's response was quite detailed and, as they say, settled the matter conclusively on each of the points raised. Regarding the pumping units, the department explained that the treatment station's equipment is accounted for and meets the design capacity. The supposedly 'disappeared' pumps were actually replaced as part of energy consumption optimisation — instead of two units with a capacity of 160 kW each, less energy-intensive ones rated at 45 kW and 15 kW were installed. According to the ministry's response, the dismantled equipment is stored in the box at the same treatment station.
As for the infamous dormitory, the situation appears more complex. The ministry confirmed that in October 2023, the enterprise drew up a defects report, deeming the previously accepted work under the contract with Euro-Qurylys LLP to be unsatisfactory. In March 2024, the court ordered the contractor to fulfil its warranty obligations; however, this decision is currently at the stage of compulsory enforcement. In other words, the dormitory indeed remains unfinished, but, as the department reported, it is not the fault of Kazvodkhoz.
The fate of the employees who featured in the previous article deserves separate attention. Recall that at the beginning of 2022, the site foreman Mr Utyro confessed to the theft of fuels and lubricants, a diesel power station and a trawl, stating that he had acted on the instructions of the production site manager Mr Baltabekov. Both were dismissed, but, according to sources, were subsequently reinstated by the new management.
The ministry confirmed this information, but with certain nuances. Utyro was indeed dismissed of his own accord in 2022 and was rehired in February 2025 — albeit in the position of head of the main structures. Baltabekov, meanwhile, worked at the branch from September 2022, but in May 2025 he was handed a notice of termination of employment due to reaching retirement age.
Notably, according to the results of an internal audit conducted by the ministry in March 2024, no violations regarding the use of fuels, lubricants and equipment were identified concerning these individuals. It seems that either the previous incidents were thoroughly investigated and closed, or the traces have been successfully covered up.
Interestingly, the versions from sources and official responses often diverge dramatically. Where some see equipment theft, others cite planned modernisation. Where sources speak of complete inaction, the ministry points to court proceedings and the compulsory enforcement of decisions. Perhaps it is a matter of a lack of information, or perhaps it is about different perspectives on the same events.
It is also telling how quickly personnel changes occur in the industry. People who confessed to violations return to work a few years later, albeit under different management and following appropriate checks. It gives the impression that the water industry is a kind of closed ecosystem, where personnel rotation occurs within a narrow circle of specialists.
In the context of the billions in investments set to flow into Kazakhstan's water industry in the coming years, issues of transparency and control become particularly pertinent. Only time will tell whether the management system will be effective enough to prevent a repeat of past incidents.