A video showing large-scale operations near the Kurchum River in the East Kazakhstan region has alarmed social media users. The author of the post claims that gold miners may pose a threat to the riverbed. Now, ecologists will check the situation, reports infohub.kz.
The footage shows heavy machinery blocking the riverbed, trees being cut down, and roads being built. "They've blocked the river, and we don't know how we'll get through. On the other side, they're felling trees and building a road. We'll see how we can pass this section. It looks like it will be very difficult. And look at the scale: they're digging everything out for gold," says the video's author.
The post also claims that not only the Kurchum but also the Kalzhy River is under threat. The voiceover alleges the involvement of foreign citizens in the operations.
The work in the Kurchum district is carried out by GRK VIZOL LLP. The company is engaged in geological exploration and extraction of precious metals at the Tokbura site in the Kystau-Kurchum river basin. According to the press service of the East Kazakhstan regional akimat, the subsoil user has the necessary permits. In particular, the company received an environmental emissions permit for Category I facilities on March 26, 2021. However, the video materials that appeared on social media require a separate check.
The Department of Ecology for East Kazakhstan region is initiating an unscheduled inspection of the company's activities. Specialists will determine whether environmental requirements are being met and whether the ongoing work has an impact on the water body. "Currently, the Department of Ecology for East Kazakhstan region is initiating an unscheduled inspection of the subsoil user's activities to check compliance with environmental legislation, taking into account information about the possible impact of the ongoing work on the water body," said Laura Zhakupova, press secretary of the East Kazakhstan regional akim.
Based on the inspection results, the company's actions will be given a legal assessment. If violations are confirmed, measures provided by law will be taken against the subsoil user. The akimat also stated that the situation is under the control of authorized state bodies. The authorities promise to report the results of the inspection and the measures taken additionally.
Meanwhile, this is not the first time that gold mining in the Kurchum area has become a subject of dispute. For example, in September 2021, after social media posts about possible pollution of the Kurchum and Kystau-Kurchum rivers, the Department of Ecology of East Kazakhstan conducted an unscheduled inspection of the company. At that time, specialists identified cases of overflow from storage ponds of process water onto the terrain and drainage of water from the settling tank into the Kystau-Kurchum River.