The Abai Regional Prosecutor's Office has succeeded in overturning a ban on swimming in all of the country's water bodies. The relevant rule had previously been adopted by the Ministry of Agriculture.
According to the press service of the office, prosecutors identified a violation in a regulatory legal act that restricted citizens' right to water use.
"During a monitoring of legality, it was established that the Ministry of Agriculture had adopted standard rules for general water use which contradict the Constitution and the Water Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan," the statement said.
Under these rules, the ministry completely banned swimming in all water bodies in the country — regardless of the presence of warning signs. In response, the regional prosecutor's office filed a lawsuit with the court to have this provision declared illegal.
The Specialised Inter-district Economic Court of Astana upheld the lawsuit and ordered the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation to bring the standard rules into line with current legislation.
Later, the appellate panel of the Astana court confirmed the legality of the first instance decision, leaving it in force.
"The court directly stated that the contested provision contradicts paragraph 3 of Article 6 of the Constitution, according to which land, its subsoil, waters, flora and fauna, and other natural resources belong to the people," the prosecutor's office noted.