COUNTRY REPORT
Kazakhstan
Emergency
Prevention Department
Emergency
Agency Republic of Kazakhstan
The Republic of Kazakhstan is the young state – we are independent
only 12 years. The country occupies 2,7 million. square kilometer of the
Eurasian continent that deduces it on 9-th place in the world by the size of
territory. Kazakhstan is subject to diversified natural and man-made disasters.
That is why we are very interested in development of wide cooperation with the
Asian countries on the widest spectrum of questions - including the field of the
prevention and liquidation of emergencies natural and man-made character.
Kazakhstan shares its borders with the Russian
Federation, People’s Republic of China, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Republic of
Uzbekistan, and the Republic of Turkmenistan.
Astana - the new capital of Kazakhstan - is located at the center of
republic. The population of Astana is made over 300 thousand the man. Now in
Astana there are Parliament, Government and other basic state bodies.
Almaty - the former capital of Kazakhstan - is located in a southeast of
republic at bottom of mountains Ili Alatau. Almaty city has the special status
and is largest cultural, scientific and industrial center.
The system of civil protection of Kazakhstan is young, as well as
its independence. August 21,
1991 accordingly the President’s Decree formed the State commission on extreme
situations as well as Rule about it
is authorized.
The Emergency Agency Republic of Kazakhstan is an independent central
executive body and directly accountable to Prime Minister Republic of
Kazakhstan.
Realizing all importance of protection of the population from existing on
territory of Kazakhstan threats of catastrophic extreme situations and natural
disasters, the President of our country Nursultan Nazarbaev has determined
Agency as a state body alongside with other force state bodies providing
national security Republic of Kazakhstan.
The agency carries out rapid response on large emergencies and disasters
as well as control of technical safety in an industry, coordinates measures on
their prevention, supervises over State fire service, organizes measures and
provides functioning system of a Civil defense in Kazakhstan.
The laws of Republic of Kazakhstan and special decisions of Government
determine functions of all main state central and local executive bodies at
liquidation and prevention of emergencies. Thus, in our republic functions the
State system of the prevention and liquidation of extreme situations, which core
is the Emergency Agency.
The professional operative forces of Agency are constantly ready to
performance of emergency works. Structure of these formations includes one
republican and 5 regional airborne rapid – rescue groups, 25 specialized
fire parts on suppression of large fires and conducting rescue works which also
completed by the medical personnel and equipment, 332 fire parts of cities and
areas, paramilitary, mining rescue, rescue at gas accidents, counter fountain
groups, water rescue services, two military units of a Civil defense. For
operative sending of the rescuers in the difficult of access and remote zones of
disasters the Agency has helicopters.
By experience of foreign services 911 in 10 large
cities of Kazakhstan the uniform dispatching services of rescue 051 are created.
Service of emergency medical aid in extreme situations of the Ministry of
public health closely cooperates with rescue services of Agency. The Center of
accident medicine and its regional divisions functions. In case of disasters
these Centers are under an operative management of Emergency Agency.
First of all for rendering the international aid is planned to use
Republican rapid - rescue group equipped with the modern rescue equipment and
engineering. This group well has recommended itself at realization of rescue
mission in Turkey after 1999 earthquake. The reserve of the provision and
materials allows working to it independently
during 14 day.
The republican automated information-managing system on extreme
situations including geoinformation systems and Internet - technology on mobile
complexes and modern sites of a corporate network is created in all territory of
Kazakhstan.
Last decade practically in all regions of the world the steady growth of
quantity of natural disasters and their damage is marked. That first of all is
explained by amplifying anthropogenous loading on biosphere.
The territory of republic is subject to risk of many accidents of natural
character: earthquakes, mud flows, avalanches, landslides, floods.
The greatest annual damage is put to Kazakhstan by spring high waters,
the floods of the Caspian sea and mudflows. It is supposed the creation of the
specialized mechanized engineering groups for increase of efficiency
precautionary measures, in each region of Kazakhstan. These groups will
strengthen old and to build new dams, quickly to liquidate breaks through them
of water during floods. Therefore experience of liquidation strong floods in
Bangladesh, India and China is very important for us.
One of the five year in Kazakhstan is droughty. That year productivity
agricultural (basically grain
cultures) on not pouring grounds quickly falls. But it does not result in famine
of the people and destruction of cattle, because constantly reserve of the
foodstuffs on a case of such global emergencies replenishes is created by state
government. Besides Kazakhstan carries out humanitarian deliveries of a grain to
the population of the neighbour countries injured from emergencies and political
conflicts.
For Kazakhstan the danger of
droughts is that in the years their display quickly progresses transformation
into desert of grounds. Area of deserts and half-deserts already occupies 66 %
territory of Kazakhstan.
In droughty years amount of wood and steppe fires amplifies because of
what the small area of woods in Republic 4,7 % constantly decreases. On the
verge of disappearance Aral sea there is located on a southwest of Kazakhstan.
For example if in 60-s' years of the last century the area of Aral sea was 68
thousand sq. km., now it diminish only 32 thousand. sq. km. The smallest
elements of aggressive salts already lifted by a wind with dried up Aral seabed
destroy fertility of soils in bordering to the sea regions. From earlier
blossoming deltas of the rivers Amu Darya and Syr Darya began migration of
population. Elements of this salt already are find on glaciers Northern Tian-Shan.
This global ecological accident has taken place in many respects because of mass
expansion crops of cotton and fence of water for them from the rivers flowing
into Aral. Now Kazakhstan reduces
crops of rice and the technologies economical pouring of agricultural cultures
take root. The crops of cotton in Uzbekistan are reduced. For accumulation of
fresh waters of the river Syr Darya the crosspiece in northern part of lake is
constructed. The states of our region create the International fund on saving
Aral, which means are directed on scientific search of ways of the decision this
problem and on practical activities.
Kazakhstan is ready to provide the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center all
information about this accident in order to other Asian countries have taken
lessons of this sad experience and the recurrences of such disasters have not
admitted at themselves.
In Kazakhstan, as well as in many countries, the earthquakes concern to
the category of the most dangerous natural phenomena. 650 thousand square
kilometers, on which lives more than 6 million people and 40% of the country's
industrial facilities are under constant threat of devastating earthquakes.
In connection with intensive production hydrocarbon raw material is quite
probable the opportunity of development man-made or induced seismisity in
western areas.
About ten destructive earthquakes two of which concern to a rank of
global accidents for last hundred years has taken place in Kazakhstan.
On the data Kazakhstan seismologists, the almost centenary period of
seismic calm in Kazakhstan comes to an end and the coming years it is necessary
to wait in our territory earthquakes with the large destructive consequences.
Asian catastrophic earthquakes, having place per last years, (Turkey,
Taiwan, India, Afghanistan) again prove necessity of decision the questions
seismic stable construction and antiseismic strengthening not seismic stable
buildings and structures in Kazakhstan.
There
is a danger of occurrence man-made earthquakes in the western regions of the
country because of an intensive oil production and gas. We need expansion of a
network of seismic monitoring, its reequipment on modern, computerized means of
supervision. In this direction the big help was rendered to Kazakhstan from the
side of the Government of Japan. In this connection I have honour once again to
thank the Japanese side for this support.
Scientists
from Kazakhstan closely cooperate also with seismologists of China in the field
of development of methods of the short-term seismic prognosis.
Taking
a case, also I want to thank the Chinese colleagues and the Government of China
for the technical help, rendered to Agency in 2002 as computers,
videoengineering and a communication facility.
The
Emergency Agency of the Republic of Kazakhstan effectively cooperates with
similar state bodies and forecasting services of the Kyrgyz Republic,
Tadjikistan, Uzbekistan.
Using
world experience in preparation for disasters Kazakhstan together with the
United Nations Development Program (UNDP) worked out and accepts by the Kazakh
Government "Kazakhstan Natural Disaster Preparedness Plan". This Plan
stipulates realization of the whole complex of legal, organizational and
technical measures under the prevention of disasters in our country.
The
big problem for our country is preparation and retraining of experts, and also
realization of scientific researches in the sphere of emergencies and disasters.
After dossolution of Soviet Union all educational and scientific institutes on a
civil defence and emergencies have remained in territory of Russia and Ukraine.
The Government of Kazakhstan will accept the appropriate measures for
liquidation of the usual situation. While we solve this problem by a direction
of our experts in the foreign educational centres, including in the Asian
Centre. In this case we widely use world scientific and technical experience.
Last
years cooperation of Kazakhstan extends in the field of the prevention and
liquidation of consequences of emergencies with the international organizations
and the world developed countries .
So we
try to participate in the actions, spent under aegis of the United Nations, the
International Civil Defence Organization, the International Atomic Energy
Agency, the Asian Disaster Reduction Centre and other.
Participating
in actions within the framework of the NATOs program " Partnership for
Peace" experts of Emergency Agency intensively master experience of the
developed countries in the field of the emergencies prevention and their
liquidations, struggle against fires, civil protection and civil defence, work
with refugees, the organizations of operative interaction with other countries
in case of disasters.
Annually,
since 1997 in Kazakhstan the International Training Seminar of rescue
subdivisions be held, in which rescue teams from Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Azerbaijan
have successfully taken part.
In
2002 in Almaty city the First International Exhibition "Prevention, Rescue,
Relief – EURASIA -2002” was conducted, organized together with the
Emergency Ministry of Russia. The rescue engineering, the technics,
equipment and outfit, means of life-support, individual and collective
protection, the equipment for extreme medicine, devices of the radiative-chemical
and biological control were shown during in this Exhibition. Heads of related
services of the countries of Community of Independent States, representatives of
the International and non-governmental organizations, diplomatic missions,
placed in Kazakhstan, have taken part in this exhibition. Also, colleagues from
Asian Disaster Reduction Centre have taken part in this exhibition.
At the
end of April, 2002 in Saint-Petersburg the delegation of Emergency Agency head
by the Chairman Mr. Zamanbek Nurkadilov has taken part in the first Meeting of
Heads of the state bodies, responsible for the prevention and liquidation of
natural and man-made emergencies of countries - participants of the Shanghai
Organization of Cooperation. During this meeting arrangements for the further
adjustment of cooperation between countries – members of this
International Organization are
achieved.
From
time of finding of independence Kazakhstan repeatedly carried out the
international humanitarian operations, assisting as food stuffs, building and
other materials to the foreign countries, injured with large-scale emergencies
and disasters.
Among
them is an Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kyrgyz Republic, Russia, Tadjikistan,
Uzbekistan, Ukraine and also Afghanistan, Iran, China, Mongolia, Poland, Turkey,
Czech Republic, India.
In
August, 1999 the Kazakhstan rescuers in quantity 20 person for the first time
have taken part in liquidation of consequences of destructive earthquake in
Turkey and rendering of the humanitarian aid.
To all
of us, by virtue of a geographical position, initiation of large disasters more
and more threaten to some extent. Only our close cooperation, harmonious work of
our rescuer teams will allow quickly and in due time to come to the aid each
other and to rescue lifes of tens, hundreds, thousand people.
Let me
to express a high estimation and gratitude to representatives of the
international and non-governmental organizations of foreign countries, who now
are present at this hall. It is difficult to overestimate your strong support
and the humane help, which you render in difficult time to national services of
the various world states, responsible for the prevention and liquidation of
disasters.
I
would like to pay your attention, that the Emergency Agency of the Republic of
Kazakhstan is open for all and is ready to any cooperation. Fruitful cooperation
and warm friendly relations effectively will allow to realize all actions,
directed on the prevention, response and liquidation of consequences of
disasters all over the world.
I
once again want to allocate the big importance for us cooperation with the Asian
Disaster Reduction Centre. Your efforts on promotion of knowledge of disasters,
on management of them and reduction of consequences from them necessarily will
bear the fruits and on the Kazakhstan ground.