Environmental requirements for the construction and operation of roads in Kazakhstan will become mandatory for the first time. Starting January 1, 2027, the country plans to introduce a unified standard that will set environmental rules for all stages of a road's lifecycle—from design to operation. The document aims to ensure more careful use of natural resources, reduce the negative impact of the road industry on the environment, and create uniform mandatory standards for all market participants, reports infohub.kz.
According to Kazakhstan's Ministry of Transport, the new document is being developed by the Kazakhstan Road Research Institute (KazdorNII). "Institute specialists are preparing a departmental standard that will for the first time establish uniform environmental requirements at all stages of road existence. The new rules will apply to the design, construction, repair, maintenance, and operation of road infrastructure," the ministry said.
The document is expected to be approved by the end of 2026 and take effect on January 1, 2027. The developing standard covers a wide range of environmental requirements aimed at reducing the impact of the road industry on the environment. Specifically, it includes measures to preserve the fertile soil layer, protect surface and groundwater, reduce pollutant emissions into the atmosphere, and minimize dust generation, the ministry noted.
Additionally, the document sets requirements for noise reduction, rational management of production and consumption waste, and mandatory restoration of areas disturbed by road construction. According to KazdorNII, environmental safety should now be considered an integral component of modern road infrastructure quality.
According to the developers, implementing a unified standard will establish identical requirements for all stages of the road lifecycle, minimize negative environmental impact, and ensure more rational use of natural resources in road projects. "Until now, environmental safety issues in the road sector were mainly regulated by recommendations that did not have binding legal force. The new standard will for the first time give these requirements the status of a mandatory document," emphasized the Ministry of Transport of the Republic.
One of the key sections of the project is the protection of water resources. The document provides for the organization of surface drainage systems on construction sites, treatment of polluted water, and a complete ban on the discharge of untreated wastewater into the environment, the ministry said. It also includes rapid response measures in case of oil product spills to minimize environmental damage during emergencies.
Special attention is paid to the preservation of land resources. The new standard introduces mandatory removal of the fertile soil layer before the start of construction work, its separate storage, and subsequent use for reclamation of disturbed areas after completion of construction, the Ministry of Transport informed.
Another important area is the conservation of biodiversity. When designing and building roads, specialists will have to consider animal habitats, seasonal migration routes, fish spawning grounds, and bird nesting sites. If necessary, projects will include special environmental protection measures, such as the installation of protective fences, warning road signs, and other solutions to reduce the impact of road infrastructure on wildlife, the ministry added.
The introduction of a unified environmental standard will be an important step in modernizing Kazakhstan's road industry. Shifting from advisory requirements to mandatory standards will increase environmental responsibility in infrastructure projects, ensure more effective protection of natural resources, and bring the national road construction system closer to modern international environmental requirements.