Karaganda Records Consistently "High" and "Very High" Levels of Air Pollution for Over a Decade

Press Release

For over ten years, the city of Karaganda has been experiencing persistently high and very high levels of air pollution. More than half a million residents are exposed to air contaminated with suspended particulate matter, hydrogen sulfide, and other harmful chemical compounds. In 2024 alone, the city recorded over 46,000 instances where concentrations of hazardous substances exceeded permissible limits — 14,000 more than in Kazakhstan’s largest metropolis, Almaty.

Karaganda is currently the fifth most populous city in the country, with a population exceeding 500,000. It is also one of Kazakhstan’s key industrial regions, home to a major territorial-industrial complex centered around heavy industry.  

The local climate, typical for Northern and Central Kazakhstan, is sharply continental, characterized by harsh winters, moderately hot summers, and low annual precipitation. 

The main sources of atmospheric pollution in Karaganda are thermal power plants, coal mining enterprises, and emissions from the private residential sector. Approximately 25,000 households in Karaganda use solid-fuel stoves for heating, consuming an average of 290,000 tonnes of coal during the heating season.

Air quality monitoring in Karaganda is conducted at seven permanent observation stations:

- 4 manual sampling stations, where air samples are collected four times daily and analyzed for eight parameters: 1) suspended particulates (dust); 2) sulfur dioxide; 3) nitrogen dioxide; 4) carbon monoxide; 5) phenol; 6) formaldehyde; 7) nitric oxide; 8) arsenic.

- 3 automated monitoring stations, which record data every 20 minutes for nine parameters: 1) РМ2.5; 2) РМ10; 3) sulfur dioxide; 4) carbon monoxide; 5) nitrogen dioxide; 6) nitric oxide; 7) hydrogen sulfide; 8) ammonia; 9) gamma dose rate (ambient gamma radiation background).

Two key indices are used to assess air quality: 

- Air Pollution Index (API) — a composite indicator that reflects the concentrations of several key pollutants and their potential impact on human health, based on daily or annual average concentrations, used to assess chronic pollution levels;

- Standard Index (SI) — an indicator based on the highest single measured concentration of a pollutant divided by its Maximum Permissible Concentration (MPC). This index helps identify the most hazardous pollutant at a given location and is used for assessing short-term pollution levels.

According to the national hydrometeorological service Kazhydromet, between 2015 and 2022 the Air Pollution Index for Karaganda was classified as "high". In 2023, the index was raised to "very high". In 2024, based on the Standard Index, the level of air pollution remained at the "very high" level.

In 2023, maximum exceedances reached up to 22.6 times the permissible level for PM2.5 and up to 12.1 times for PM10. In 2024, exceedances rose further to 26.6 times the limit for PM2.5 and 14.2 times for PM10. These elevated concentrations result primarily from the large number of coal-fired heating sources and industrial facilities operating on coal.

In 2024, a total of 46,256 exceedances of maximum permissible concentrations were recorded by air monitoring stations, with the majority attributed to particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) and hydrogen sulfide. 

In addition to these pollutants, elevated levels of carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, phenol, and ozone are also present in Karaganda's atmosphere.

It is important to note that the Regional Ecological Summit will take place in Astana from April 22–24, 2026. This high-level forum, with the participation of international experts, will address environmental challenges in Central Asia and explore viable solutions for the region.