The specialised environmental prosecutor's office of the Zhambyl region has identified systemic violations in the activities of the Shu-Talas Basin Water Inspectorate, which is responsible for oversight in the field of protection and regulation of water resource use.
According to the press service of the agency, after the new Water Code came into force on 10 June this year, basin inspectorates received the right to conduct unscheduled inspections in cases of unauthorised water use without issuing an appointment act. To this end, correct lists of facilities with a high risk of violations must be compiled.
However, a supervisory inspection revealed significant shortcomings in the compilation of such lists. The list unjustifiably included 31 entrepreneurs, 25 of whom were not actually operating at the time the lists were drawn up.
In addition, inspectors conducted checks on four entrepreneurs who held valid permits for special water use. It is noted that the presence of permit documents renders such checks unnecessary.
Prosecutors also identified violations of inspection deadlines and instances of non-compliance with the procedure for informing entrepreneurs of the results of supervisory activities.
As a result, the head of the inspectorate unit was brought to administrative responsibility under Part 1 of Article 173 of the Administrative Offences Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan ("Illegal interference in entrepreneurial activity") and was fined 100 MCI (393,200 tenge).
At the same time, a submission was made to the authorised body to bring the guilty officials to disciplinary responsibility.
It is worth recalling that in June last year, an audit conducted in the Zhambyl region identified around 10 cases of illegal water use, as well as violations in contracts for the supply of irrigation water concluded with farmers.
In July, the director of the local branch and the head of the Shu-Talas Basin Inspectorate were brought to disciplinary responsibility for the violations committed.
In September, following the results of an internal audit, the director of the branch of RSE "Kazvodkhoz" for the Zhambyl region and the head of the Asa Production Site lost their jobs.