An investigation into large-scale illegal sand mining from the Tobol Riverbed in the Kostanay region has been completed. The damage caused by the head of STS-Cement LLP amounted to 719 million tenge, reports infohub.kz.
According to the Kostanay Department of the Agency for Financial Monitoring, the company head organized industrial extraction of river sand directly from the riverbed and shoreline of the Tobol River, outside the state-provided subsoil plot. The work was carried out using a hydromechanical method with two dredges from the river bottom. The total volume of sand sold exceeded 113,000 cubic meters, valued at 719 million tenge.
The illegal activity caused significant environmental damage to water and land resources: the Tobol River's course was altered, the shoreline destroyed, the hydrological regime disrupted, and areas of waterlogging formed. According to satellite imagery, the area of disturbed water fund land exceeded 28,000 square meters.
Restoring the natural complex will require bank reinforcement, riverbed cleaning, and reclamation of disturbed lands. With court approval, the suspect's property has been seized: 12 vehicles, 10 land plots, and a non-residential building. The criminal case has been sent to court.