Starting from January 1, 2023, it is forbidden for guest houses located in Issyk-Kul region of Kyrgyzstan to operate without utilities and facilities. The President of the country signed a corresponding decree on urgent measures for preservation of the ecology of Issyk-Kul lake.
It is noted that an unfavorable ecological situation is observed on the territory of the resort and recreation zone of the lake.
It has already led to a reduction of recreational value of the lake complex and can cause irreversible ecological and economic losses, if the current negative trends persist.
«One of the main sources of pollution of the lake and Issyk-Kul territory are cities and settlements located in the coastal zone and on the banks of rivers flowing into Issyk-Kul lake. Residents, organizations, and enterprises discharge wastewater and waste into the rivers, and in some places directly into the lake, because treatment facilities either do not exist at all, or if they do, the quality of treatment does not meet the established requirements. As a result, a large volume of dangerously polluted wastewater containing organic and chemical compounds enters the lake,» press service of the President says.
In addition, hundreds of resorts and guest houses that are located and work directly in the coastal zone and are not equipped with reliable treatment facilities have a serious negative impact on the purity of the lake.
The plots of land are more and more actively developed in the water protection zone not only for recreational, but also for economic purposes.
«The shore of the lake is actually being built up by private residences, holiday houses, cottages, guest houses, hotels and other facilities; there is violation of the ban on construction and operation of facilities other than recreational ones within 500 and 100 meters from the shoreline of Issyk-Kul lake, and placing objects of all types in the protected areas. Many private resorts, guest houses, hotels and other facilities are not provided with sewage systems and treatment facilities, which is a huge problem for the whole recreational region,» the Presidential Administration says.
From year to year, the republican and local authorities make decisions not to allow work of these recreational facilities. But in the end they continue to work and make profit. The existing sewage and wastewater treatment facilities in Balykchy, Karakol, Cholpon-Ata, due to many years of operation and untimely overhaul, have fallen into disrepair, do not fulfill their functions, at best they make only mechanical treatment of wastewater.
All this creates additional environmental risks for the Issyk-Kul water protection zone.
The President reminded that implementation of the law on Sustainable Development of the Ecological and Economic System of Issyk-Kul, the government decree on Approval of the Development Rules for Issyk-Kul Lake Resort and Recreation Zone, the presidential decree on Measures to Ensure Environmental Safety and Climate Stability of the Kyrgyz Republic was left unchecked and uncontrolled. Compliance with the laws on preservation of the ecology of Issyk-Kul and normative legal acts regulating the procedure of maintenance and conditions of urban development and development of Issyk-Kul biosphere zone are also not monitored.
«Ignoring of the requirements of ecology and norms in the field of urban planning and development of the territory of recreational facilities causes devaluation of laws, other normative legal acts and master plans on urban development of the territory of the Issyk-Kul biosphere zone. To date, Issyk-Kul lake more than ever needs to be protected and cared for. The decree was adopted in order to prevent the ecological disaster of the biosphere zone and preserve Issyk-Kul lake, effectively use and manage its adjoining territory, create conditions and provide control over development of resort-recreational and tourist infrastructure of Issyk-Kul region,» the press service of the President explained.
Decree of the President prohibits functioning of resorts, guest houses, holiday houses, cottages, hotels and other recreational facilities, regardless of ownership and departmental affiliation, without providing engineering communications and facilities (water intake, water pipes, sewage system, sewage pumping station and sewage treatment plants) from January 1, 2023 in the resort and recreation zone of Issyk-Kul region.
In addition, certificates of readiness to function for the next holiday season will not be issued to resorts, guest houses, holiday houses, cottage villages, hotels and other recreational facilities, not provided with water supply, sanitation and sewage treatment facilities.
The Ministry of Natural Resources, Ecology and Technical Supervision, the Presidential Envoy to Issyk-Kul region, heads of district state administrations and mayors of Balykchy, Karakol and Cholpon-Ata are responsible for implementation of the decree.
The Cabinet of Ministers was entrusted until July 1, 2022 to consider at its meeting the execution by ministries, administrative agencies, local state administrations and mayors of Issyk-Kul region of the law on Sustainable Development of Ecological and Economic System Issyk-Kul, the government decree on approval of rules for development of the resort and recreation zone of Issyk-Kul, the presidential decree on measures to ensure environmental safety and climate stability of the Kyrgyz Republic and other normative acts.
Until June 1, 2023, the Cabinet must ensure the construction and reconstruction of sewage treatment plants in Balykchy, Karakol and Cholpon-Ata, the waste processing plant in Karakol and Cholpon-Ata, and also provide budgetary funds for the implementation of this decree when drafting the national budget for 2023.
The Cabinet should develop and approve a comprehensive state program «Protection of Issyk-Kul lake and socio-economic development of Issyk-Kul biosphere zone for 2023-2026» before January 1, 2023. The goal of the program is to protect Issyk-Kul lake and protect the Issyk-Kul biosphere zone from negative impacts of human activities, anthropogenic and natural factors on the natural environment.
The program should be adopted to reduce discharge of pollutants into water bodies of the Issyk-Kul biosphere zone, reduce the level of pollution by industrial and domestic wastes, including ensuring the rehabilitation of areas that have been highly polluted. In addition, its main objectives are to increase the effectiveness of the use of the resort and recreational potential of the Issyk-Kul biosphere zone, to preserve and reproduce the biological resources of the Issyk-Kul biosphere zone, to develop state environmental monitoring of the ecological system of Issyk-Kul lake, and to develop a system for protecting the shores of Issyk-Kul lake, banks of the rivers and other water bodies located in the Issyk-Kul biosphere zone.
