Eight reservoirs have been returned to state ownership.

The Environmental Prosecutor's Office of the Almaty region has announced the return of eight water management facilities to state ownership. According to the supervisory authority, a number of violations were identified during inspections, which were committed by the trust managers of the respective entities. Specifically, these managers failed to adhere to contractual obligations regarding the maintenance of the facilities' proper technical condition and did not carry out necessary inspections.

https://kazpravda.kz/n/v-sobstvennost-gosudarstva-vozvrashcheno-vosem-vodohranilishch/2025-02-05 07:13:17

“All of this could have led to negative consequences for both the environment and the lives and health of local residents,” concluded the prosecutors. “Thanks to the measures taken, contracts with unscrupulous managers have been terminated, and state ownership has been restored with assets valued at over 20 billion tenge. The authorized bodies are conducting work on a multifactorial technical inspection of water bodies based on the prosecutor's supervision act.”

As clarified by the press service of the regional akimat, the aforementioned water bodies are located in the Enbekshikazakh, Talgar, Ili, and Karasai districts. Five reservoirs have come under state control through court decisions, while three others were transferred by mutual agreement. They have been assigned to the GKP “Almatyoblvodkhoz,” one of the subdivisions of the regional akimat.

Now, the authorities will be able to timely carry out the reconstruction of the reservoirs. Plans include strengthening the dams and repairing the spillway gates, as well as regular monitoring of the structures' condition, especially during the spring flood period.

One of the urgent tasks is to attract private investments for the further operation of the reservoirs. As reported by Bibigul Uzakova, head of the Almaty region's finance department, the implementation of projects will ensure stable water supply to nearby settlements and farms, as well as create conditions for the development of tourism and fishing.

For example, Lake Issyk, located in the picturesque foothills of the Zailiyskiy Alatau, is one of the tourist gems of the republic. Every year, thousands of Kazakhstani and foreign tourists come here to relax. According to a contract signed back in 2019, the managing company LLP “KazElectroEnergiyа” committed to investing over 1 billion tenge in the reconstruction of the existing dam here, but failed to fulfill its obligations. As a result, the contract was terminated, and the property, along with a land plot of 141.6 hectares, was returned to municipal ownership by a decision of the specialized inter-district economic court of the Almaty region.

It should also be noted that, in addition to water management facilities, a number of educational institutions have come under state control, where violations were also identified. These include the Ushkonyr College of Water Management, an arts school in Kaskelen, and the Almaty Economic College. All these facilities were previously transferred to private companies for trust management, but the investors did not meet the terms of the contracts.

According to the regional finance department, a large-scale inventory of municipal property has been completed in the region, resulting in the identification of 967 vacant, emergency, and abandoned facilities that pose a threat to the lives and health of citizens and detract from the architectural appearance of towns and villages. Some buildings will be demolished, others will be put up for auction, and reconstruction is planned. A total of 69 structures have been selected for repair work, and competitions for attracting investors have been announced.