Air Quality in Shymkent Has Deteriorated in Recent Years

Press Release

Despite the shutdown of major factories and the reduction in production capacity of other enterprises, the environmental situation in Shymkent has worsened over the past few years. Due to the growing number of vehicles in Kazakhstan’s third-largest city, a "high" level of air pollution has been recorded in 7 out of the last 10 years. 

Since 2018, Shymkent has held the status of a city of republican significance. It ranks third in population (approximately 1.3 million people) but first in terms of area among the cities of Kazakhstan. 

The climate is moderately warm (the city lies on the northern edge of the continental subtropics), and precipitation levels are relatively low throughout the year.

Despite the closure of phosphorus and lead plants and the decline in industrial output, the environmental situation in Shymkent has continued to deteriorate in recent years. The expansion of the city and steady population growth have led to a significant increase in the number of vehicles. As a result, the levels of pollutants from vehicle emissions—carbon and nitrogen oxides, and sulfur dioxide—have risen in the city's atmosphere.

Air quality monitoring in Shymkent is conducted at 6 stationary observation points:  

- At 4 manual sampling stations, air samples are collected three times daily and analyzed for 13 parameters: 1) ammonia; 2) suspended particles (dust); 3) nitrogen dioxide; 4) sulfur dioxide; 5) carbon monoxide; 6) nitric oxide; 7) hydrogen sulfide; 8) formaldehyde; 9) benzo(a)pyrene; 10) cadmium; 11) copper; 12) lead; 13) chromium.

- At 2 automated air monitoring stations, data is recorded every 20 minutes for the following 5 parameters: 1) nitrogen dioxide; 2) sulfur dioxide; 3) nitric oxide; 4) hydrogen sulfide; 5) ammonia.

According to data from the RSE “Kazhydromet,” the Air Pollution Index (API) was rated as “high” in 2015–2017, 2019–2021, and 2024. In 2018, 2022, and 2023, it was rated as “elevated.”»

In 2023, there were 6,281 recorded cases of exceedance of the Maximum Permissible Concentration (MPC) of harmful substances. The exceedance rates ranged from 1.8 to 4.9 times the allowable limit.

In 2024, the total number of MPC exceedance cases was 4,276, with the majority involving carbon and nitrogen oxides, and sulfur and nitrogen dioxides.

The main air pollutants in Shymkent are particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), carbon monoxide, ozone, and hydrogen sulfide. 

It is worth noting that ozone is an indicator of high hydrocarbon pollution, as it is formed through photochemical reactions of hydrocarbons under the influence of solar radiation. This indicates that the main source of air pollution in Shymkent today is motor vehicles.