Technical Cooperation with Kazakhstan

Almaty, Capital of Kazakhstan until 1997. Source: BGR

The BGR has been working in the framework of technical cooperation in Kazakhstan since 1999.

In view of the aggravating environmental problems the BGR is conducting consultations on transboundary environmental damage in Central Asia.

Partner institutions of BGR are the East Kazakhstan Ecology Administration in Ust-Kamenogorsk (EKEA) and the Committee for Geology and Mineral Protection in Kokschetau.

Kazakhstan is a partner country of the german development cooperation and belongs to the focus area Central Asia. Focal Points are the promotion of economy, consulting on economic reforms and establishment of professional education.

Basis of the economic development of Kazakhstan are rich Oil-, Gas- and other deposits of natural resources. Economic growth has been about 10 percent in average during the last years. The Kazakh government strives for a balanced economic growth, a faster developing of processing industries and establishing of High-Tech industries. Primary aim is to overcome the economic dependence on natural resources. Weak points are the legal system, inadequate economic diversity, the low income per capita and big regional economic and social differences.

In the region of Ust-Kamenogorsk, one of the biggest mining-areas of the former Soviet Union, until 2000 more than 28 million tons of mining wastes were deposited. That led to considerable pollution of surface- and ground waters as well as the air and threatens today the drinking water supply of about 290,000 people in the region.

BGR supported the World Bank-Project “Water resource management in the Irtysh- and Nura-Basins, North-East Kazakhstan” with a study. It was a contribution to the Remediation-Program initiated by Kazakhstan and the World Bank to reduce the entry of pollutants in the region and to strengthen Kazakh environmental authorities.