Parents of a 10-year-old child who was helping to reinforce a dam in the village of Teplichnoye in the North Kazakhstan Region have been held administratively liable. According to police, the child's father committed a gross violation of the law by allowing his underage son to drive a quad bike.
As reported by Informburo.kz, information about the young helper had previously appeared on the official Instagram page of the regional akimat. The post described how the boy was helping adults by transporting bags of soil to reinforce the dam. The family was hailed as a true example.
Despite this, the North Kazakhstan Region Police Department classified the father's actions as a violation of Part 3 of Article 612 of the Administrative Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan — handing over control of a vehicle to a person without a driving licence. The fine amounted to 50 MCI (196,600 tenge).
"We understand: he wanted to help a common cause. But such actions are, firstly, illegal and, secondly, dangerous for the life and health of both others and the child himself. And it could lead to tragic consequences. Work on the dam is carried out under conditions of increased risk, involving special equipment, police officers, rescuers and military personnel. We had previously warned citizens against allowing children in the area of such work, let alone behind the wheel of machinery," said Alibek Gabdullin, head of the local police service department of the North Kazakhstan Region Police Department.
He stressed that the purpose of holding people accountable is not punishment, but the prevention of potential tragedy.
Earlier, it was reported that residents of the villages of Teplichnoye, Olshanka and Bolshaya Malyshka in the Kyzylzhar district of the North Kazakhstan Region may be evacuated due to flooding. Shortly before this, authorities decided to relocate residents of the village of Zarechny to safe areas.
For context, in February 2025, the Tasqyn flood forecasting system was put into operation. The Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation promised that the first forecasts would appear in early March, but, as practice has shown, even these vague predictions did not help prevent the numerous floods that occurred in various regions of the country.
Reality contradicts the department's optimistic reports: in several regions (North Kazakhstan, Aktobe, Kostanay, Akmola, East Kazakhstan regions) serious flooding continues, roads are eroded, populated areas are flooded, and transport links are disrupted. Entire villages have been isolated, while the Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, Nurzhan Nurzhigitov, declares the "effectiveness" of the Tasqyn flood forecasting system.