Kokshetau Has the Cleanest Air Among Kazakhstan’s Major Cities

The administrative center of Akmola Region, the city of Kokshetau, surrounded by forested areas, boasts the cleanest air among all major cities of Kazakhstan. Despite the presence of a combined heat and power plant (CHPP), the city has consistently maintained a low level of atmospheric pollution over the past 10 years.

 Kokshetau is located in the northern part of the Kazakh Uplands, on the shore of Lake Kopa, and several dozen kilometers from the Shchuchinsk–Borovoe and Zerenda resort zones. The city’s climate is sharply continental.

The overall state of atmospheric air in Akmola Region is assessed as stable.

In Kokshetau, the main sources of air pollution are industrial enterprises, heat and power facilities, and transport. Additionally, residential houses that use coal for heating contribute significantly to pollution, especially during the winter season.

Air quality in Kokshetau is monitored at 2 automated air monitoring stations, where data are recorded every 20 minutes for 6 parameters: 1) suspended particles PM-2.5, 2) suspended particles PM-10, 3) nitrogen dioxide, 4) sulfur dioxide, 5) nitrogen oxide, 6) carbon monoxide.

Air quality is assessed using the Atmospheric Pollution Index (hereinafter – API), a metric that reflects the concentrations of several key pollutants and their impacts on human health. It uses daily or annual average concentrations to determine chronic pollution levels.

According to RSE “Kazhydromet,” between 2015 and 2024, Kokshetau consistently maintained a low air pollution index (API 1–4). In 2024, monitoring stations recorded 677 cases of exceeding the maximum permissible concentration of harmful substances. The main pollutants are suspended particles and nitrogen and sulfur dioxides.