The authorities of Kyrgyzstan are seriously concerned about the deterioration of the air quality in the capital. The government is taking all measures to reduce air pollution levels in Bishkek. It is known that starting from January 1, 2024, the Bishkek City Hall will begin exercising the powers of the Ministry of Natural Resources, Ecology, and Technical Supervision of Kyrgyzstan to monitor compliance with atmospheric air protection requirements, Ritmeurasia.ru reports.
With the onset of the heating season, the implementation of a new project by the World Bank for $50 million has begun. This project involves strengthening the air quality management system in Bishkek, implementing environmentally friendly heating solutions during the winter, and greening the urban environment.
The World Bank project, titled "Improving Air Quality in Bishkek: Understanding and Addressing Key Stakeholder Concerns," was presented to the head of the Kyrgyzstan government.
"A proper solution to this problem will allow us to efficiently plan and implement industrialization in our other cities," said Akylbek Japarov during the project presentation. He highlighted four main measures to minimize air pollution in the capital of Kyrgyzstan.
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To reduce the use of solid heating sources, nine residential areas have been gasified in collaboration with LLC Gazprom Kyrgyzstan, and 22 coal-fired boiler houses have been converted to natural gas heating. In addition, subsidies of 1 billion soms are provided through state banks to residents of the capital for purchasing gas equipment.
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To reduce exhaust emissions from vehicles, 4.5 billion soms have been allocated to the Bishkek municipality in 2023. This is for the replacement of bus fleets with environmentally friendly public transport, creating an electric charging infrastructure, and encouraging the acquisition of electric vehicles.
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Complete localization of combustion at the Bishkek landfill, which lasted for several decades, has been achieved, and the area is being reclaimed.
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As part of the greening policy in Bishkek, 22,000 trees and 110,000 shrubs for live hedges have been planted. Reconstruction and improvement of park areas covering a total area of 4.3 hectares have been carried out.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
December 12, 2023