The Specialised Inter-District Administrative Court of Almaty has ordered the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources to provide a copy of the report on the hydroecological and hydrogeological surveys of the Kokzhide sand massif. The ruling has not yet come into legal force, and the ministry retains the right to appeal.
WHAT DECISION DID THE COURT MAKE
According to Vlast.kz, on 29 July the Specialised Inter-District Administrative Court of Almaty declared unlawful the refusal of the Ministry of Ecology to provide environmental information. The court ordered the ministry to hand over to human rights activist Sergei Solyanik a copy of the report "Hydroecological and hydrogeological surveys within the territory of the Kokzhide sand massif", prepared in 2026, with the exception of restricted-access information.
It is noted that the ruling will come into force after the procedures prescribed by law have elapsed. The ministry has 2 months to file an appeal.
WHY ACTIVISTS CONSIDER THE RULING IMPORTANT
Human rights activists Sergei Solyanik, Musagali Dauylov and Anara Ibraeva called the court ruling significant for ensuring the public's right of access to environmental information. At the same time, they stressed that they would only be able to examine the report itself after the judicial act comes into legal force.
The activists also expressed disagreement with the decision of the court of Astana dated 14 May 2026, by which the claims of Anara Ibraeva and Musagali Dauylov were returned, while the claims of Sergei Solyanik were considered separately. In their view, this affected their right to act as representatives of a single public association.
HOW THE CASE DEVELOPED
In April 2026, Sergei Solyanik, Musagali Dauylov and Anara Ibraeva filed a lawsuit against the Ministry of Ecology after it refused to provide a copy of the report on the hydroecological and hydrogeological surveys of the Kokzhide territory.
According to the case materials, the survey was prepared for the government and was to be used in decisions relating to the future of the Kokzhide sand massif.
The client for the survey was the KazEnergy association, and the contractor was the Kazakh National Research Technical University named after K. I. Satpayev. According to the activists, it is impossible to assess the findings of the survey without first obtaining the document itself.
Sergei Solyanik stated that after reviewing the report, the document is planned to be passed to independent specialists for analysis and comparison of its findings with official responses from state bodies.
WHY THE ISSUE IS ATTRACTING ATTENTION
It is noted that Kokzhide is one of the largest underground sources of fresh water in Kazakhstan. At the same time, oil and gas deposits are located on this territory.
The activists say that after receiving the report they intend to assess its contents and, if necessary, continue judicial protection of their interests. The findings of the survey itself remain unknown for now, as the document has not been published.
