US embassy cable - 05ALMATY1855

UNCLAS  ALMATY 001855 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
DEPT PASS TO OPIC - BALLINGER 
DEPT PASS TO DTA FOR STEIN, EXIM FOR GLAZER 
DEPT PASS TO AID - EE - PHILLIPS/RUSHING 
DEPT PASS TO EPA - WFREEMAN 
TREASURY FOR 4231/ITA/MAC/MLONDON, 4201/BISNIS/TGUNN 
USDOC FOR 6110/ITA/TD/BI/RHALPERN 
ANKARA FOR CFC 
TASHKENT FOR EPUTNAM 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON, SENV, ENRG, EPET, KZ, ECONOMIC, Environment 
SUBJECT: KAZAKHSTANAN: ENVIRONMENTAL UPDATE 
 
 
1. Summary: This information is drawn primarily from the 
Kazakhstani local press, and has not been verified.  The 
opinions expressed in this report, therefore, should not be 
interpreted by readers as conveying positions and/or policy 
of the U.S. Government. 
 
-- Kazakhstan Supports Tight Control over Movement of 
Ionizing Radiation Sources 
-- Kazakhstan Must Decontaminate the Semipalatinsk Nuclear 
Test Site 
-- Space Program to Develop Space Activities 
-- President of Kazakhstan Signed Law "On Social Protection 
Of Invalids" 
-- "Dikaya Priroda" (Wild Nature) NGO Initiated 
Implementation of the "Kings of Tulips" project 
-- "Access Energo" Enterprise Reduces Hazardous Emissions 
-- Republican Research Conference "Environment and Children" 
Held In Almaty 
 
Kazakhstan Supports Tight Control over Movement of Ionizing 
Radiation Sources 
----------------- 
 
2. Speaking at the 36th plenary session of the International 
Science and Technology Center's (ISTC) governing board on 
April 11, 2005 in Almaty, Energy Minister V. Shkolnik called 
on the international community to introduce a system of 
tight control over the movement of ionizing radiation 
sources with the same degree of strictness as the movement 
of nuclear materials.  He stressed the significance of 
introducing such a system because terrorists might be 
interested in creating "dirty bombs."  The minister pointed 
out that "any steel, iron, cobalt, manganese turns into the 
strongest source of gamma radiation after having been 
treated by a neutron laser, which is very dangerous to life. 
The number of such sources worldwide is huge. There are 
hundreds of thousands of them only in our region," he said. 
(Interfax-Kazakhstan, April 11, 2005). 
 
Kazakhstan Must Decontaminate the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test 
Site 
--------- 
 
3. At the 36th plenary meeting of ISTC on April 11, 2005, 
the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Vladimir 
Shkolnik, thanked the International Science and Technology 
Center for reorientation of the weapons industry towards 
peaceful goals and noted that Kazakhstan is now facing the 
problem of further decontamination of the Semipalatinsk 
nuclear test site where there is a lot of sprayed nuclear 
material. It must be collected, buried and removed, he said 
(Interfax-Kazkahstan, April 11, 2005). 
 
State Program to Develop Space Activities 
----------------------------------------- 
 
4. Baikonur will celebrate its 50th anniversary in June 
2005.  The Kazakhstani budget includes $340 million to 
implement the 2005-2007 state program to develop space 
activities.  According to Minister of Education and Science 
Byrganym Aitomova, the program is "of and innovative nature" 
and includes the creation and operation of spacecraft for 
communication and broadcasting, improvement of surface 
infrastructure and facilities for orbiting spacecraft, 
creation and utilization of information and space 
technologies and use of piloted flights for fundamental and 
applied scientific research. (Interfax-Kazakhstan, April 11, 
2005). 
 
 
President of Kazakhstan Signed a Law "On Social Protection 
Of Invalids" 
------------ 
 
5. According to the press service of the Head of state, on 
 
April 13, 2005, President Nursultan Nazarbayev signed laws 
"On Social Protection of Invalids" and "On Introducing 
Amendments to Some Legislative Acts of the RK on Social 
Protection of Invalids."  The law specifies measures on 
medical, social and professional rehabilitation of invalids 
and main directions of state policy. The document envisages 
transfer from mostly medical to a medical-social model of 
social protection: provision of secured volume of free 
medical aid, including free medications and sanatorium- 
resort therapy not only to invalids but to their children as 
well. There are 395,000 invalids in Kazakhstan, 47,000 of 
whom are children (Interfax-Kazkahstan, April 13, 2005). 
 
Wild Nature NGO Initiated Implementation of the "Kings of 
Tulips" project 
--------------- 
 
6. In the Southern Kazakhstan Oblast, the NGO "Dikaya 
Priroda" (Wild Nature) has begun implementing a project 
known as "Kings of Tulips."  Activists are calling on local 
people to protect wild tulips in April, during their 
vegetation period. There are six types of wild tulips in 
Southern Kazakhstan Oblast, two of which -- Greig and 
Kaufman tulips -- are in the Red Data Book.  To prevent 
people from picking wild tulips, activists call on them to 
grow cultivars species on their garden plots. The project is 
supported by the International Union of Nature Conservation. 
(Interfax-Kazakhstan, April 13, 2005). 
 
 
"Access Energo" Reduces Hazardous Emissions 
------------------------------------------- 
 
7.  Access Energo, owned by Access Industries, employs 
environmental protection technologies and has developed a 
special program on environmental protection. In comparison 
with 1998, the quantity of hazardous emissions into 
atmosphere was lessened by 37%, slag residuals - by 14%. KZT 
557,574 million has been spent on nature protection in the 
six years of the company's work.  Access Energo is planning 
to construct a new ash dump at a cost of KZT 3 bn. 
Observers note that Access Industries is a good example of 
successful business development in Kazakhstan.  The company 
is the only regional station in the country that exports 
energy.  Access Energo produces 1.66 bn KW of electricity 
and 1.8 mn Hcal of heat annually using modern technologies. 
The company provides with electricity over 650,000 residents 
and 3,600 industrial and agricultural businesses of the town 
and oblast. (Kazakhstanskaya Pravda, April 12, 2005). 
 
Republican Research Conference "Environment and Children" 
Held In Almaty 
-------------- 
 
8.  The  10th  republican research conference - "Environment 
and  Children"  -  began on April 12 in Almaty.  Kazakhstani 
pupils presented over 120 research projects on environmental 
conservation. Representatives of the Ministry  of  Education 
and   Science,  the  leading  Kazakhstani  universities  and 
research   institutes   participate  in   this   conference. 
(Kazakhstan-I, April 12, 2005) 
 
 
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