Kazakhstan to share its experience in the green economy with Central Asian countries
This year, the UN development Program together with the UN Economic Commission for Europe will complete the implementation of the project Supporting Kazakhstan's transition to a green economy model. Within the framework of the project, which started in 2015 with a budget of 7 million euros, a number of pilot models with an emphasis on water use in utilities sector, management of hydraulic facilities, agriculture were developed and implemented. The several facilities, for example, sewerage drainage networks, were built in several settlements and villages of Kazakhstan on the basis of green principles. That allowed to improve the supply of clean drinking water, increase the level of sanitation, to arrange adequate management of groundwater. The agro-direction of the project made it possible to introduce the experience of greenhousing in the suburbs of large cities, improve the irrigation system and implement methods of subsurface waters use. And now, when some experience has been accumulated, Kazakhstan has decided to share it with the Central Asian neighbors. Moreover, the countries of Central Asia, in general, have many similarities in the field of agriculture, water management and settlement planning. Gulzhamal Issayeva, manager of the project, said in an interview to Kazakh TV that in the period from April to August of this year the study visits of experts from Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan are planned. The Regional Environmental Center of Central Asia will promote the dissemination of Kazakhstan's experience in the region. To this end, the Kazakh side has prepared four educational modules that contain information on the technological process of pilot projects, calculations, design estimates, that is comprehensive data necessary to enable specialists to apply any project in their countries. Green technologies are based on the principles of sustainable development and reuse of resources in order to minimize the negative impact on the environment, for example, through the reduction of waste and energy efficiency. Such infrastructure does not require expensive equipment and expertise to maintain its operation. In practice of Kazakhstan, green projects cost 600-700 thousand euros on average with a payback period of up to four years.
