Ecologists of East Kazakhstan region revealed the pollution of rivers with heavy metals-the damage amounted to more than 718 million tenge

For decades, the Ridder region of the East Kazakhstan region has been famous for the mining industry and related industries of metallurgy and mechanical engineering.
A large industrial complex of Kazzinc LLP in Ridder is the Ridder Mining and Processing Plant (RGOK), known since Soviet times. The company provides jobs, allocates funds for the provision of the region. However, there is also a downside to the coin. The plant, as a category 1 enterprise, is the main source of environmental pollution.
Despite the constant monitoring by the Department of Ecology for East Kazakhstan Region, violations were identified during the preventive control:

* increased content of zinc and manganese in the Martynov Klyuch stream, which was caused by storm and meltwater flowing from the territory of the liquidated Shubinsky mine, as well as drainage waters of the Shubinsky rock dump.
* contamination of the Filippovka river with heavy metals, due to the influence of the Chashchinsky tailing dump, built during the Soviet era.
* heavy metal contamination of the Ulba River, as a result of the influence of drainage waters from waste rock dumps.
* excess of the MPC for suspended substances by 32 times, for ammonium salt by 3.8 times, for nitrites by 12.5 times, for sulfates by 1.7 times, for zinc by 2.1 times during the discharge of purified mine water from the Tishinsky mine in the Ulba river.
These excesses are systematic.
In the presence of sewage treatment plants, the wastewater discharges observed a significant excess in many substances, which adversely affects the quality of the tributaries of the river Ulba: from the top of the stream Key Martynov, R. Filippovka to the bottom of the river Ulba.
‣ The amount of environmental damage caused to the cascade of surface mountain rivers by excess discharges of mine and dump water is more than 718 million tenge (since the last inspection).

‣ The company has been issued an order for compensation of damage, as well as for the prevention of pollution of water bodies, on the need to develop an action plan for the modernization of treatment systems or the introduction of modern technologies.
To date, Kazzinc LLP has submitted a Plan of environmental Protection Measures for a total amount of 44 million tenge with the implementation period until the 2nd quarter of 2021.
Information on the results of the execution of the orders and compensation for damages will be provided later.

Press Service
Committee for Environmental Regulation
and Control of the Ministry of Environmental Protection of the Republic of Kazakhstan