Kazakhstan pays particular attention to the issues of environmental protection and the creation of green spaces. Daryo's reporter Azizbek Abduvaliyev, who returned from a trip to Almaty, studied the topic on the example of this metropolis.
Photo: “Daryo” / Shuhrat Saidahmadov
Devices that measure air quality, an increasing number of eco posts, and machines that spray water even during the day.
Almaty is trying to be in harmony with nature. When the plane was preparing to land at the airport, we watched the city through the porthole and saw that Almaty was covered with green. This impression became even stronger when the bus crossed the road from the airport to the hotel: on both sides of the main roads, the trees are like a forest.
Photo: Almaty Department of Green Economy
Due to the abundance of trees and the proximity to the mountains, you can take a deep breath in the city, and in this regard, you will notice the difference with Tashkent. Another aspect is that the special machines spraying water on the city streets not only in the morning but also in the afternoon, make one round of Almaty and contribute to the disappearance of dust. Eco posts have been placed in different parts of the city, 19 stationary and 3 mobile posts were added to their ranks last year.
Photo: Almaty Department of Green Economy
A project to determine air quality and inform the population has been launched in different regions of Almaty. The information received from more than 40 sensors in the city is regularly transmitted to 50 LED screens in the metropolis and the "Almaty" TV channel.
Photo: AP
Many years ago, the campaign "Green Almaty" to plant 1mn sapling was launched in the metropolis. As part of this action, 135,000 saplings were planted in 2019, 282,000 in 2020, and 215,000 in 2021. This year, this figure is expected to be 385,000.
Photo: “Daryo” / Shuhrat Saidahmadov
Almaty officials control not only the planting of seedlings but also their growth. The city's green economy department has been assigned to regularly monitor the situation. According to their calculations, about 15 percent of the seedlings planted may be withered, broken, or bruised. However, almost all of them have been replaced and replanted, as the organization or companies that planted the saplings have fully guaranteed their condition.
Saplings, numbered and processed trees are distributed free of charge to the population.
As part of the "Green Almaty" campaign, seedlings of acacia, poplar, white birch, and other trees were distributed to the city residents free of charge. For this, citizens need to sign a two-year warranty on the care of seedlings, send photos of the location where planting is planned, and indicate the required number of seedlings. After the seedlings are planted, a photo report is sent to the green economy department. Through this initiative, the direct participation of residents in the greening of the city where they live is ensured.
Photo: Almaty Department of Green Economy
To preserve and improve the health of the city's green fund, seedlings and trees are regularly treated with biopreparations. This serves to protect the trees from diseases and insects. Also, at the beginning of this year, the "Trees of Almaty" program was launched, and all trees in the metropolis were numbered. With this program, you can find all the trees in the city, and cutting them down becomes a big problem or rather a trouble.
Photo: Almaty Department of Green Economy
In addition to the numbering of trees, the program also evaluates their condition: "green" - healthy, "red" - dead, and "blue" - trees that need to be cut because they cannot grow.
Photo: Almaty Department of Green Economy
A city that is giving up seasonal flowers
The annual practice of planting flowers, which is now a tradition in our cities, was widely used in Almaty. Now the officials of the metropolis are abandoning this habit, which is a loss, and are switching to the practice of planting flowers for many years.
Photo: “Daryo” / Shuhrat Saidahmadov
Also, unusual styles are used to decorate Almaty with flowers. While we were in the city, we saw that most of the bus stops were decorated vertically with flowers.
Photo: Almaty Department of Green Economy
In this way, the space was effectively used, the city was given an aesthetic look, and efforts were made to improve the ecological situation.
Photo: Almaty Department of Green Economy
Residents of Almaty are also active in eco-activities. Before we went to the megapolis, Medeo, Kimasar, and other tourist destinations of the city were cleaned and 35,000 tons of garbage were collected and fruit and ornamental trees were planted.
Photo: Almaty Department of Green Economy
Photo: Almaty Department of Green Economy
For this purpose, special buses have been organized for public representatives, students, and volunteers, and necessary types of equipment have been allocated.
Photo: Almaty Department of Green Economy
The greening of Almaty is not done by the state, but by business
It should be noted that landscape companies, not state organizations, are engaged in the greening of the city in Almaty. There are more than ten of them in Almaty itself. There are very high requirements for companies: availability of special equipment, qualified specialists, etc. They participate in the tenders announced by the city authorities and are engaged in landscaping the square and parks, planting flowers and seedlings on the streets and avenues.
Photo: Almaty Department of Green Economy
They carry out a large amount of work and bear a great responsibility - they are responsible for every flower and seedling planted, guaranteeing that they will flourish. At the same time, the income they receive from it is also significant: the largest contracts in terms of landscape design belong to the companies engaged in greening the city.
Photo: Almaty Department of Green Economy
Most of them are members of the Kazakhstan Landscaping Association (there is such an association in the country). This association, which has about 100 members, held the tenth "Almaty Garden Show-2022" festival in September of this year, and industry experts shared their experiences on further improving the city's freshness.
Photo: Almaty Department of Green Economy
Photo: Almaty Department of Green Economy
Officials of Almaty repeatedly say that they are trying to turn the metropolis into a livable garden city, not a second Dubai. Last year, the area of green space per person in Almaty was 4.6 square meters, and this year this indicator reached 7.7 square meters. We think they are on the right path...
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