Kazakhstanis are calling for the return of the country's previous time zones.
A corresponding petition has appeared on the website epetition.kz. In an open letter to the Ministry of Trade and Integration of the Republic of Kazakhstan, it is claimed that several problems linked to the recent one-hour clock change are already being fully felt across the country.
Primarily, the authors are concerned that the clock change has shortened the daylight hours. As the sun sets earlier, the population uses more artificial lighting, leading to increased electricity consumption and, consequently, higher bills.
"The average bill for essential electricity consumption as of 01.04.2024 was around 17,000 tenge. Projecting into the future, the time change will significantly increase these costs, especially in the autumn-winter period. The increase in the length of the dark part of the day forces the population to turn on lighting earlier, which, as an already established fact, leads to higher electricity consumption and, consequently, additional expenses," the petition's authors assert.
At the same time, the authors state that, among other problems, residents are experiencing physical and psychological discomfort due to a mismatch between human biorhythms and work, study, and rest schedules, which has led to increased fatigue, reduced productivity, and poorer sleep quality.
"What is more important for the state: taxes from unsanctioned, many times increased prices by entrepreneurs into the state treasury, or the health of workers; government services in a single mode, or the health of the future generation? We, the residents of Kazakhstan, strongly urge you to consider the following measure: cancel the time change. This will eliminate the mismatch between human biorhythms and the artificially established time schedule, improve the well-being of the population, and reduce the risk of developing oncological diseases, immunodeficiency, and psychological disorders," the petition states.