In early May, three tons of diesel fuel
leaked into the Ishim River from the storage facilities of a state-owned enterprise
located in the Northern Kazakhstan regional capital of Petropavlosk. Though the city
government and environmental officials had repeatedly demanded that action be taken
against the polluters, the functionaries did not budge. A few days later a huge fire broke
out in the area that was thoroughly soaked with the fuel, devastating the grass and trees.
Ironically, the accident occurred in the heyday of a clean-up campaign sponsored by the
regional administration.

The Ishim River is heavily polluted by illegal municipal and industrial dumps and
agricultural pesticide run-off, but still remains the main source of water for million of
residents in the Northern Kazakhstan and Aqmola Regions. People located far from the river
depend on open wells, ponds, and lakes for drinking water, but polluted water and
unsanitary conditions has provoked the spread of infectious diseases in rural areas. The
solution to the water problem will, in all probability, drag on for many years to come.
Western environment specialists are surprised by the widespread indifference to ecological
issues in the region. This public apathy apparently stems from the recent past when
ecological disasters of the nation were frequently but never openly discussed.

The Ecocenter, a regional environmental NGO established in 1997, is currently
undertaking some ambitious environmental projects, including the monitoring of water
pollution levels in northern Kazakhstan and the impact of human activity on the
environment. Over the last two years, educators and students from the local university
have managed to draw a considerable sum of grants totaling $30,000 to establish and
implement Ecocenter initiated projects. Grants for the Ecocenter, and its projects, have
come from ISAR, Counterpart Consortium, Mobil Oil Kazakhstan, Eurasia Foundation, and the
German ABG GmbH Company that is cooperating within the framework of TACIS FDKA 9410 (EC)
program. Most of the funds were used to purchase office equipment and to publish
scientific newsletters. In 1998, the Ecocenter hosted an international conference titled
"The Environment and Sustainable Development."

While the Ecocenter has produced some good work that is purely of academic value, the
NGO lacks experience in mobilizing people for a real environmental movement, and also
struggles with raising the public’s awareness through environmental education. Even
some environmental NGOs are not always receptive to new ideas. An American ecologist
working with the Ecocenter, comments with dismay that such NGOs "do not seem willing
to accept non-standard conceptions" and that is what embarrasses him most. This view
reflects the prevailing mood among foreign environmental specialists in Petropavlosk, but
not everyone here shares such a pessimistic view. The Ecocenter welcomes financial support
and can be contacted by telephone or fax, (3152) 46-50-70, or by e-mail at HREF="mailto:ecocenter@petropavl.kz">ecocenter@petropavl.kz.

Marat Yermukanov