DEVELOPMENT OF ECOLOGICAL EVENTS FOR SOCIAL AND
ECONOMIC PROVISION IN KAZAKHSTAN
Bimagambetova Zhibek Tobulbaevna, PhD, Director of Centre for Cross
Cultural Communications of International Relations Department, Associate
Professor of the chair for diplomatic translation, al Farabi National University,
Kazakhstan, Almaty, [email protected]
Karatayev Marat , PhD, Sponsored researcher, Newton Al Farabi
Partnership Programme, Energy Research Institute of Nottingham University,
[email protected]
Abstract
This article presents the results of work of the International Scientific and
Education Project "Global climate change impact on land degradation and society
in Kazakhstan", which main purpose is to study the manifestations of land
degradation and the development of adverse aerodynamic processes in the West
Kazakhstan, in particular, the Mangystau and Atyrau regions, as a result of
increase aridity. Direct indicators of the transformation of the environment under
the influence of natural
factors such as global and regional climate changes are
the external features of the relief, vegetation of land surface and taking place on
dynamic processes.
Keywords: economic growth, Kazakhstan, land degradation, government
programs, survey
1. Introduction
The Strategy of becoming one of the fifty most word competitive countries
include the priorities, taking into account the interests of the country in regional
and global development. Our Government face the challenge of transition from a
"brown economy" to a "green economy", which was announced in the President’s
Annual Message in "Kazakhstan -2050 " (the President of RK Nursultan
Nazarbayev summed up the main results of the implementation of the Strategy
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"Kazakhstan -2030" and addressed Message to people of Kazakhstan "New
Strategy " Kazakhstan -2050 " : a new policy established state ") .
In his speech, the President also noted that the main purpose of which is to
create a society based on a strong welfare state in the long term , while not
exposing future generations to significant environmental risks by 2050. Today
global environmental issues have imposed on the financial –economic crisis which
is considered as the dangerous threat. Challenges which surfaced on Kazakhstan
are the following - global warming, desertification and land degradation, melting
glaciers, droughts and water shortages, the growing volume of waste and
emissions. All of them are serious threat to both the environment, human health
and economic development.
The last decades, according to numerous studies are characterized by a
global increase in aridity. Desertification and land degradations one of the negative
processes
which
affected
Kazakhstani
large
areas.
Desertification is the loss of ecosystems, loss of soil fertility and biomass
production. Desertification leads to environmental instability of the natural
landscape and human overload. Assessment of desertification, its extent, types,
rates, and the risk of development is not only one of the complex ecological
criteria, but also the socio-economic condition of arid territories of Kazakhstan, a
larger area which demonstrates the processes, both natural and anthropogenic
desertification.
Vividly the processes appear in the semi-desert areas of Kazakhstan, due to
the low resistance of ecosystems to changes in external environmental factors,
including and anthropogenic factor. The study area-Atyrau and Mangistau regions
of Western Kazakhstan is almost entirely located in the semi-desert area, where
natural processes of desertification and land degradation amplify the influence of
anthropogenic factor (active exploration and development of hydrocarbon
resources). Anthropogenic impacts caused by mining, construction, residential
facilities, pipelines and water pipelines, power lines, roads, and heavy pumping of
fresh ground water contributed to the change of the relief environment, excitation
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negative geodynamic processes of degradation and destruction of productive oil
vegetation layer over large areas(direct impact).The indirect impact of human
disturbance resulted in intensification of deflation processes, erosion, saltinization,
erosion dismemberment earth's surface. Even more major cause of desertification
island pollution deposits, places, transportation and refining of petroleum
hydrocarbon sand radioactive compounds (chemical exposure).
.
2. Methodology
2.1 Selection of areas
The studies were conducted within Manghistau and Karakiya districts of
Mangistau region(total route length of more than 1000kmof Aktau-ShetpeUshtagan -Sauyskan -Sholtobe -Karatobe -Seneca - Holly
Becket Ata –
Tushykudyk -ZhanaUzen -Aktau) (figure 1), Isataev district of Atyrau region(the
total length of the route was over 300km: Kaidak, Kozhyk, Isatai), where
particularly pronounced processes of desertification.
2.2 Structure of the questionnaire
The main research methods were:
• Analysis of soil and vegetation study area;
•study of the spatial conditions of mass of sand;
• social survey to a)identify the space-time state of the natural components
in connection with the increase of aridity, that is the decision of the first two tasks,
and b)analyze the impact of the state of natural components on the life of local
people.
2. Survey results and discussion
Groundwater and surface water.
Economic - drinking water supply of Caspian region only with the help of
groundwater. Intensive unloading of fresh and
desalinated groundwater, caused
by the increased production of mining and processing of
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hydrocarbons. Thus,
population growth is not compensated by infiltration of surface water due to, first,
reduce the amount of annual rainfall, and secondly, increasing volatility and
evaporation due to higher over the last decades, the average monthly summer
temperatures [1]. These foundlings are based on an analysis of:
• temperature and annual precipitation values derived from existing weather
stations in Kazakhstan over the past 50-60 years;
• long - term performance of pumping stations (Water-selection at the station
Sauskan carried out since 1965. Production wells form a linear series of a length of
17.5 km, the distance between the holes varies from 200 to 1300 m, 27-52 m deep
wells. For the last 6 years, the depth of wells reached 60m, indicating a decrease in
the level of underground fresh water almost 10 m Total capacity of water in the
years 2003-2010 was - 3.45 - 3.48 m3/day.) (figure 2,)
Figure 1.Hydro-geological map of the area Ushtagan aul (village) (Materials Institute of
Geography of MES RK, 2008-2011)
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Of the hydrogeological conditions
Graphs of groundwater level observation wells on
Number number 93, I-93, 2006-2007.
• Reduced groundwater levels in
most parts of the exploited water
intake by an average of 0.5-1.0 m
and
reached
a
settlement.
Ushtagan. Revaluation operating
reserves Sauskanskogo field by
mathematical modeling shows that
during
the
subsequent
25-year
period
of
operation
(1998
2022gg.) Is expected to reduce
groundwater levels in most parts of
the array Sauskan in the range of
0.8-2.0 m
well for
watering seedlings
Figure 2.Hydrogeological conditions of the underground water has in Sauskan (Materials
Institute of Geography of MES RK, 2008-2011)
•
data showing a sharp decline, and for the most part - the complete
disappearance of fresh and desalinated water in the ancient stone well, still used as
a watering hole or well water salinity (13.14). Observations of the known existing
wells and Mangistau and Karakiya districts of
Mangistau region - Kazakh,
Shymrau, Malibek, Zhanasu, Besshymrau, Karashkazgan, Orpaly and others;
Isataevsky district of Atyrau region - Isatai, Bezgen, Terekty -
showed a
reduction inthe level ofwell watermorethan 10 meters, sometimes with its salinity,
and in mostwells- itscomplete disappearance. Many of the oldstone wellsare
closed. Of the 24 wells that we met along the route, 16 wells were operational in
1982 y. Currently, of the 16 wells only 3 wells are operational (well Borly, located
to the south of the uplift Eliktau, with a water depth of 11m, and in 1982 - 2m;
well Darmen, located in the eastern part of the Bostankum sand, with water depth
of 12m, and in 1982 - 3m; well Ashyborsan, located 5 km south-west of the well
Darmen, with depth occurrence of water 12m, and in 1982 - 2 m), and the
remaining 14wells - dried up (well Beke, located 20km east of well Borly, with
the depth of water in 1982 - 12m, well Saubet - 2 km to the east of the well Beke,
well Baskuduk - 1 km west of the sands Baskuduk; well Akpan at the height of
214m; well Saz, located 2 kilometers south-east of the well
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Akpan; well
Terekurpa, located at the north-eastern tip of the sand Sengirkum; Sholakkazgan
and Kozhakazgan wells, located in the western end of the sands Sengirkum; well
Akurpa, located on the eastern edge of the sand Tyshkankum; wells Bekberdy,
Shalabai, Kokkuduk, Kyzylkuduk and Zhusanoy, located in the south-west tip of
Seneca sands) or saline (7 wells - wells is Ymyr, Kuylys, Akkut, Torum, Akkot,
Zhangyzak, Sokyrsu). Still it’s very interesting how, without any research and
observation, ancient nomads pointed the location of fresh groundwater.
However, a large indirect impact on the decline in fresh water (both surface
and underground) water pollution a human factor that enhances the natural aridity.
The major hearth pollution was observed near the industrial enterprise sand within
metropolitan areas (Aktau, Atyrau). As studies of previous years, near such cities
were observed the large halos of groundwater contamination, resulting in failure
of the entire groundwater intakes, or portions. The most polluting affection ground
water have petroleum products in the territories of almost all oil and gas complex
of Atyrau and Mangistau regions [2].
Soils and vegetation.
Natural conditions of soil desertification caused by a high degree of aridity,
aero-halophyte vegetation composition, the prevalence of brown carbonate, and
structure less saline soils, characterized by low natural fertility. Zonal brown and
gray-brown desert soils are characterized by low humus composition (A + B 2030cm), low humus content (0.5-1.5%), elements of mineral nutrition of plants,
salinity, solonetsous. Genetic parameters of soils are unstable or volatility the
growth of the natural aridity, enhanced anthropogenic factor, whose load on the
environment of the study area is increasing very year. This has led to a significant
soil horizon, to its salinization and solonetsous, the development of wind and water
erosion, a violation of density, closeness and species diversity of vegetation, the
formation of technologically-transformed soils – techno soil with substantially
different morphogenetic profile and, consequently, a different type of vegetation
[3].
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On the territory of the research by the Institute of Botany of the National
Academy of Sciences of Kazakhstan revealed 121 species of higher plants,
belonging to 84 genera and 35 families. Dominated by species of the family
(Chenopodiaceous) chenopodiaceae (30 species or 24.8%), which indicates the
prevalence of halophytic plants, that are part of many plant groups as a gray-brown
solonetsous - saline soils, and on the sands. The decrease over the past decade, the
values of annual precipitation and an increase in the average monthly summer
temperatures resulted, as well as an increase in the number of livestock and,
therefore, increasing the load on the soil and vegetation caused, first, by etching
away and extinction of many species of higher plants - trees - shrubs, replacement
of productive plants inedible grasses, secondly, to the thinning and disturbance of
vegetation canopy ,the third - a change of tall vegetation (reed vegetation) of its
low-growing analog, which is evidenced by the decrease in the level of
subterranean and ground water, fourth - to replace many food plants more drought
tolerant weakly, if not inedible grasses and briars [4]. These conclusions are based
on the analysis: the accounting data of the Institute of Botany of MES RK. –
Almaty
-Magystau:
Stock
Reports,
2002-2010;
•visual field observation sat on key sites along the road route;
•comparative study of large-scale geo-botanical (1:200 000) maps, executed
in 1963and 2005;
•survey data of local people of different age group(interviewed more than
100 people aged 30to 85years) settlements Ushtagan, Sauyskan, Seneca,
Tushykudyk, Becket-Ata (Mangystau region),Kaidak, Kozhyk, Isatai(Atyrau
region).
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Figure . Active attack sands and the results of human activities for their consolidation.
Salinization of soils.
For the territory of the Caspian Sea region, with arid climate which is
called "salinity". The development of this process is associated with capillary hood
of ground water due to the strong surface evaporation, crystallization of salts,
water extracted from the very same rock, intake of salt from weathering thick
massive crystalline rocks, as well as distribution and transporting salt from saltbearing sedimentary rocks. The relief role of this process is very high. Salt marshes
are depressions, stacked clay, loam, sandy loamandless sandstones. In recent years,
the level of subterranean and groundwater leads to salt-roof blowing plum pond
active formation of sink holes and basins [5]. According to the observations of
local residents, the areas of negative landforms such originate increasing.
The analysis of the main natural component Sal sore lied on following
areas: ever notice people changing the climate? Any changes in the weather
conditions in the areas of traditional economic activities? What are these changes
manifested in nature? What are the facts you could bring in proof of climate
change at different times of the year? Do you notice the impact of climate change
on plants and animals? Your ancestors were saying about the climate in their time
compared to today? Can you feel the impact of climate change on the locals?
The survey was conducted in 2011.within the Ural-Caspian region. The
main methods of collecting primary data were questionnaires and interviews.
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Using questionnaire sand were interviewed more than 200people, including partial
responses were given102 people, as they were visiting from outside and settled in
this area recently(less than10 years).The autochthons were98 people, of which the
most complete answers were given only the old-timers-that's67 people. in the
analysis of social survey data, we relied on these indigenous people. Of the67
people-
35men
and
32women,
representing
respectively56.5%and
43.5%.Respondentsaged 45to 65yearsaccounted for22 people, or 34%, over
65yearswere 50people, or32.7% of the total number of respondents, older than80
years were 10people.
Of the total number of respondents primary education have 8 people, or
13%, secondary education -21 people, or 33%, vocational - 27people, or 43%,
higher education -7, or 11%.
According to the survey determined the structure of the population on the
social situation of identity. Interviewed
respondents classified themselves as
"workers" (32.6%), "servant" (22.9%), "other"(44.5%). Under "other" respondents
identified themselves into such categories as "pensioner», "Unemployed»,
"housewife.
Of those surveyed 9% of income per family members more than 60
thousand tenge (about$ 400). No incomeat5.2% and refused to answer35.2% of the
totalnumber of respondents. Thus, the extreme weather conditions
also
compounded the majority of low-income families.
The results of the survey respondents about climate change over the past
decade in areas of traditional economic activity showed the following
•
•
significant
noted
no
changes
change
noted
-
18%
of
82%;
respondents;
• all respondents highlighted the increase of abnormal weather events - heat waves,
droughts, dust storms, increased winter rainfall and rapid melting of, etc.
Due to climate change, in particular the increase in number of hot and very
hot
summer
days
(over
350
C),
local
residents
noted:
• reduction of feeding sheep and horses, loss of weight, and as a result - to change
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the
timing
of
shearing;
• increasing the number of outbreaks of infectious diseases in animals, soil,
infections and parasitic diseases.
The problem of climate change in the livestock industry, which is the
dominant mode of economic management of the rural population is also
aggravated by the lack of water, lack of fresh water on distant source sand to water
livestock. This problem was solved, and solved by groundwater. However, in many
wells in the region water disappeared, indicating a decrease in the groundwater
level. Declines in groundwater levels due to meteorological changes.
On the question about the soil cover 92% of respondents said its poor
reduction of grazing areas, disappearance and replacement of many food plants or
even poisonous species, and the increase an active attack of sand, the sharp
decrease in the number of cattle and camels increase in the population due to their
adaptability to conditions of arid climate.
The distribution of answers to the question: "Does climate change on living
standards." The answers of the respondents were as follows: Yes, very much
affected- 19%,yes, to some extent -52%, does not affect 8% -undecided- 21% of
the total number of respondents. The vast majority of the respondents mention of
climate change. Virtually all the respondents gave an affirmative answer to the
question "Do you even notice climate change," called such changes visible .
Unfortunately, the industrial development of the country during the
twentieth century, was carried out without environmental compliance and eco restoration . The chemical and metallurgical plants, oil and gas mining companies
annually aggravate ecological situation in the country .
So, implemented programs on the sand consolidation in both areas show
that the material and human resources enough to resist actively the growth process.
We must not forget that climate change is happening in our environment more
rapidly than the global average. In addition, each year a growing number of
consumed energy. Today Kazakhstan is in the top ten of the world 's energy
intensity ... . Meanwhile, in the international trading system has tightened the
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requirements for energy-intensive and other " non-green " products , technologies
and services in connection with the increasing requirements for environmental
protection and product safety . Nowadays environmental issues are a complex,
multi-level structure and global distribution. The topic of sustainable growth in
Kazakhstan is considered primarily in terms of solving regional environmental
problems. At the beginning of the XXI century, the pace of economic globalization
has given new impulse to the public discussion as the problem of the Millennium.
For the growing Kazakhstani economy environmental issues every year
becoming more important. Initiative VI Ministerial Conference, held in Astana ,
worked out the strategy - for the implementation of the Partnership Programme
provided for 10 years. In accordance with a strategic plan of development of
Kazakhstan till 2050. Under this program, the Ministry of Environmental
Protection has created the program of the "Green Bridge " . Within 5 years
planned to develop guidelines and mechanisms to build sustainable partnerships
for the implementation of "green growth" , it will also be continued to implement
projects for the conservation and restoration of ecosystems ,
including land
degradation , sustainable use of natural resources through the introduction of
resource, water, energy-saving and alternative technologies .
5. References
1. Sidikov J.C., Shlygin V.F. Groundwater Kazakhstan. Structural and hydrogeological
framework and taxonomy. - Almaty, 1998. - 346p.
2. Akiyanova F.Zh. Patterns of modern relief-Kazakhstan and the Caspian Sea environmental problems //
Proceedings of the first Central Asian Geotechnical Symposium. - Astana, 2000. - P.: 864-868.
2. Dzhanpeisov R, and other.Effect of erosion and deflation on the structure of soil and semideserts of Kazakhstan. - Alma-Ata, 1990. -92p
3. Stock reports on the study of vegetation Mangystausky area. - Almaty -Magystau ,2002-2010.
5. M.E.Belgibaev, A.V.Belyi, 1999; 5.M.E.Belgibaev, 2001; 9.F.Zh.Akiyanova, 2003; 19.A.G.
Koshim, 2012; 20.R.T. Bexeitova, 2012).
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