An environmental conflict is brewing in the settlement of Karagaily in the Karaganda region: local residents are opposing the discharge of sewage into the Ashchysu River, which is located near drinking water sources. According to them, the treatment plant project does not guarantee safety, and in the event of a power cut, untreated water could enter the river.
According to Informburo.kz, two major infrastructure projects are being implemented simultaneously in Karagaily — the construction of a central water supply and sewerage system, as well as treatment facilities. The cost of each project is around 4 billion tenge. However, according to the plan, the treated effluent will be discharged into the Ashchysu River, a tributary of the Taldy River, where the key sources of drinking water for the local population are located.
Residents claim that such a discharge poses a real threat of water pollution, especially given that the treatment plant is not equipped with emergency power supply systems.
"The electricity, for example, gets cut off. And there is a danger that the water will flow untreated into the river. But the river is natural; it will become polluted, and tomorrow we will be drinking it," said Tulegen Egizbayev, a resident of the settlement.
It has emerged that the water is of third-class treatment quality. According to ecologists, such water is unsuitable even for animals or fish farming. Local residents have been demanding for a year and a half that the project be changed and the discharge redirected away from the water intakes, but they say contractors continue to lay the pipeline towards the river.
In response to the contractors' actions, residents of the settlement have filed a lawsuit demanding that the district construction department review the project. The court proceedings are ongoing.
Representatives of the district construction department, for their part, explained that amending the project would require additional costs and extend the timeline.
"The project currently amounts to 3.5 billion tenge. If we make adjustments, it will increase the cost. Secondly, the timeline will be extended. And we plan, in the event of environmental pollution from the discharge of effluent, to provide for sludge fields in a separate project," commented Aidar Mukan, a representative of the district's department for construction, architecture and urban planning.
It also became clear that backup generators are not included in the project, and the bacteria used for biological treatment could die within a few hours if the power is cut off. The decision to purchase generators is planned to be included in a separate budget project.
At this stage, the construction of the treatment plant is 80% complete, but, according to the client, there is no precise data on the impact of the discharged effluent on the river or public health.
"Measures will be taken post-factum, once the facility is brought into operation, and if the environmental department identifies an impact," the statement reads.