Residents of Tole bi village in the Enbekshikazakh district of Almaty Region have joined an initiative to give up alcohol, the website infohub.kz reports.
According to Sedmoy Kanal, Tole bi is a popular destination for mountain tourism in the summer. The village recently went alcohol-free, and spirits can no longer be bought there. Local entrepreneurs backed the initiative and removed all alcoholic drinks from store shelves.
"We looked at other villages and decided to follow their example. Now almost no one here drinks. You won't see anyone drunk in the streets. There are seven shops in the village, and not one of them even sells cigarettes," said Amangeldy Sakhiyev, a resident of Tole bi.
In total, 24 settlements across the region have now joined the project. According to police, not a single crime has been recorded over the past three years in the nine villages that have given up alcohol.
"About 1,500 people live in Tole bi. Since the village was granted alcohol-free status, not a single crime has been registered here. Residents of Kyrbaltabai and Almali, which have also been granted alcohol-free status, have likewise joined the initiative," said Birzhan Bekzat, deputy head of the police department of the Enbekshikazakh district.