Every year, spring arrives “unexpectedly” for officials in Kazakhstan. The flooding situation this year has reached a global scale and has surpassed previous spring seasons. The editorial board of FBRK continues to investigate how long the national space agency plans to profit from natural disasters.
To recap, a state of emergency has been declared in six regions of Kazakhstan. These include Akmola Region, Aktobe Region, Kostanay Region, West Kazakhstan Region, as well as Abai Region and Ulytau Region.
Despite regional akimats previously stating they were almost fully prepared for the floods, the situation remains critical. Several officials have already received a reprimand from the President for failing to take timely measures.
Meanwhile, a petition demanding the resignation of akims and civil servants who were inactive during the floods has appeared online. At the time of preparing this material, it had already gathered over three thousand votes of support.
As we have repeatedly noted, a significant portion of the responsibility for what is currently happening in the country lies with the national spatial data operator JSC "NC "Kazakhstan Gharysh Sapary" ("KGS"), which forecasts the spring floods and forest fires expected this summer.
At the same time, at a meeting of the Republican Headquarters for Coordinating Flood Control Measures and Eliminating the Consequences of the Flood Period, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev instructed the development of an information system for modelling emergencies, citing "KGS" as an example.
The President noted that the situation with floods and fires repeats year after year, and the forecasting and analytical work of responsible bodies and relevant services, such as RSE "Kazvodkhoz" and "Kazhydromet", is organised poorly.
In this regard, the Ministry of Digitalisation, together with the Ministries of Ecology, Water Resources and the Emergency Situations Ministry, has been instructed to develop an information system by the end of the year that models all possible emergencies and compiles corresponding forecasts and action steps.
Presumably, the head of state is unaware that "KGS" often buys up satellite images from foreign suppliers to resell them to Kazakh state bodies, passing off open data as exclusive data from its own "geoservices".
The creation of yet another monitoring system in our country is simply fraught with "budget embezzlement" and the lack of a proper result. Recall, for example, the incorrectly functioning early earthquake warning system in Almaty, which cost the state 1.1 billion tenge.
To get a more accurate picture of just how much "Kazakhstan Gharysh Sapary" miscalculated, the FBRK editorial board has sent an official request to the government, asking for information on which regions of Kazakhstan the national company's forecasts for the 2024 flood situation were confirmed.
Furthermore, we have asked the Ministry of Digitalisation for information on whether the national spatial data operator intends to refund the money allocated for unjustified flood forecasts and for fires that "KGS" previously failed to predict.
Awaiting responses.