​"We don't need others poison!" Atyrau against the construction of resistant organic pollutants utilization plant

By Saule Tasboulatova

The plant for utilization of dangerous wastes (pesticides and toxic chemicals) could be built in Atyrau Oblast. At the moment the government is inclined to make such decision. However local authorities are categorically against it.

PAVLODAR MANAGED TO BEAT IT OFF

To recall, last year the government made the decision to construct dangerous wastes utilization plant in Pavlodar. Funds in the amount of 100 million dollars were supposed to be allocated from the republican budget, as well as credit funds of the World bank.

The idea was voiced by the chief expert of department of waste management under the Ministry of Energy Aidar Makhmetov at the international Ertysinvest forum:

– Currently in Kazakhstan a large number of wastes - resistant organic pollutants, wastes of industrial productions have been accumulated. They've been kept for years, nobody never destroyed them. The new plant will burn all industrial wastes, including oil, oil slurries, and also infested soil.

In particular, on the territory of the Pavlodar region there are a lot of harmful wastes that lie near the city on open sites. They have no owners and available to the population. They have been accumulated for years.

However the public of Pavlodar acted against it. The case received a wide resonance, and the government refused from Pavlodar option. But the issue of construction remained open. And here one of TCO's contractors who owns similar petrowaste utilization plant near rotational camp Tengiz responded in the following way: there is no need to spend huge amounts of money for construction of a new plant when we have something similar in Tengiz.

It is enough to upgrade the plant as per new requirements, which will require much less, than 100 million dollars, and in 2016 it will be possible to utilize dangerous wastes here.

The commission arrived from Astana and was convinced that the required plant already exists in the rotational camp.

– It is about pesticides and dangerous toxic chemicals, permanent organic pollution, they weren't utilized decades, their concentration doesn't fall down over time, - local ecologists speak.

– Those are pesticides used in agriculture and we are not an agricultural region, we are an industrial region. We don't impose our petrowaste, for example, to the southern regions. As far as we know, Atyrau region governor also refused that idea: no, our region is not agricultural, and we have no relation to pesticides.

"SHKOLNIK KNOWS THAT WE DON'T AGREE"

Nevertheless, some republican internet mass-media quote the deputy head of management of subsoil use, environment and water resources of Pavlodar region Kadylzhan Satiev: "Atyrau Oblast declared that they have an opportunity to build such plant in their region, motivating that with more suitable climatic, economic conditions, infrastructure. Now such opportunity is actively studied. In this aspect there is no mention of Pavlodar. But anyway the final decision will be made by the Ministry of Energy."

We asked to comment on this situation the first deputy Governor of Atyrau Oblast Gumar Duisembaev. Here what he answered:

– “I personally signed and sent the letter that we are categorically against the construction of this plant. Governor also said that some of our businessmen would love to earn money if they were at least oil slurry or oil field wastes, but those are pesticides. When we studied the documents, it became clear that up to 10 thousand tons of pesticides were supposed to be brought here. We don't use them here, why would we need it? The position of our regional governor in this regard is strict. He stated it to Mr. Shkolnik, by saying that my first deputy sent you the letter and we will stand on this position".