According to the Ministry of Emergency Situations, 14 people died in the fire that broke out in the Batpayev forestry in the Abai Region on June 8. The area engulfed in flames quickly spread from the initial 2,000 hectares to 60,000 hectares. 

As of June 12, efforts to put out the fire are ongoing, involving 14 helicopters, approximately 1,500 people, and more than 300 equipment units of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, local executive bodies, and the Ministry of Defense.

Since the fire outbreak, over 2,000 tons of water has been discharged 777 times.

People in nearby settlements have been evacuated to the village of Borodulikha and the city of Semei.

The President canceled his visit to Vietnam and arrived in the Abai Region for an emergency meeting on June 11, flying over the territories affected by the fire.

He met with families and relatives of the forestry workers that died as a result of the fire to express his condolences and pledge comprehensive support.

“The General Prosecutor’s Office will investigate this tragedy. Those responsible will be held accountable,” he promised.

Following a minute of silence at the emergency meeting, the President criticized the state bodies who were responsible for the situation that was “professionally neglected.”

“Even though the required instructions were provided, last year’s lessons were not learned [referring to the massive forest fires in Amankaragai district in northern Kazakhstan in September.] It is clear that the threat was underestimated. The forecast was inaccurate,” he said.

The President dismissed Yuriy Ilyin as the Minister of Emergency Situations, appointing Syrym Sharipkhanov as the new minister, and reprimanded the region’s akim (governor) Nurlan Urankhayev for failing to promptly respond to the disaster.

Tokayev instructed the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources and other state bodies to take measures to implement a digital system for the early detection of fires.

“Wildfires are raging worldwide, and we have to be able to fight them, especially when it comes to forests,” the President noted, adding that there are no more than 4% of forest plantations in the country.

Referring to last year’s forest fires in the Kostanai Region, Tokayev stressed the “low degree of preparedness,” assigning the government to bring it to the level of effective emergency response.

“The summer period has just begun, and a similar threat may arise again,” he warned.

The President posthumously awarded 14 forest workers for their courage and dedication while performing their duties.

Source: The Astana Times

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Additional rescuers from the city of Almaty and Almaty, Karagandy and Zhetysu regions were sent to fight the fire. At the time of writing, the area covered by fires hit 60,000 hectares, according to the ministry.

A fire broke out on June 8, burning forest trees in an initial area of 2,000 hectares. A helicopter was immediately brought in to extinguish the fire, and rescuers from three regions were sent to help with the effort, but the fire was spreading quickly. 

“At the moment, the situation at the fire site has stabilized. Since the morning [of June 10], eight helicopters and personnel of the involved services started to extinguish the fire. Additional forces of the Ministry of Defense are also involved. Fire extinguishing is complicated by high temperatures, large burning area and wind gusts, in some places, up to 10 meters per second,” said Derbisov.

As of June 10, fire extinguishing continues at seven sites in the region, according to the ministry. More than 1,000 people, 11 helicopters, 237 units of equipment of the ministry, local executive bodies and the Ministry of Defense are involved in the effort. An aerial survey of the firefront is being carried out. 

Since 6 a.m. on June 10, at least 164 water discharges with a volume of 410 tons were made to extinguish the fire. 

Derbisov said three forestry workers, who were killed in the fires, have not yet been identified.

In response to the escalating disaster, the Kazakh government has swiftly implemented measures to combat the fire, while President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, who canceled his visit to Vietnam because of the fires, dismissed Yuriy Ilyin as the Minister of Emergency Situations and appointed Syrym Sharipkhanov as the new minister to oversee the firefighting and emergency response efforts.

Sharipkhanov previously served as the Head of the Malik Gabdullin Academy of Civil Protection of the Ministry of Emergency Situations.

Tokayev is expected to visit the Abai Region to hold an emergency meeting and take measures to assist citizens affected by the disaster.

On June 10, Kazakh Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov convened an emergency meeting with top government officials to discuss the situation and formulate a comprehensive response. The Prime Minister stressed that all technical and human resources had been mobilized to fight the fire and ensure the safety of citizens. 

Smailov demanded to provide prompt arrival of additional equipment and employees of relevant services. He also instructed the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection to consider social assistance to families affected by fires, the Ministry of Health to keep under control the timely provision of medical care to citizens if necessary, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs to ensure public order and safety of the property.

“As of today, the situation is under control. (…) There were three fires. In two areas, the fire was actually minimized. On the western outskirts in Kashtaksky forestry, fire is actively burning. On the territory of Kamyshensky forestry, the fire is almost localized. In Uspensky forestry, the work to stop the fire is in progress. Today there is no fire hazard to the settlements. The people are returning to their homes, and the threat has been completely eliminated. The forces and means of the Emergency Situations Ministry of Astana, Karagandy, Semei, and East Kazakhstan Region, as well as the forces and means of the Ministry of Defense, including 200 personnel, are involved,” said Deputy Akim (mayor) of the Abai Region Dimitriy Garikov.

According to the country’s Kazgidromet weather forecast service, rain, thunderstorms, dust storms and squalls are expected in most areas of the region, with air temperature ranging between 24 and 29 degrees Celcius, hitting 34 degrees in the south of the region. 

Source: The Astana Times

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The country’s Ministry of Environment and Tourism said this on Tuesday, March 21, 2023.

Under the auspices of the country’s President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh, a national conference to discuss the pressing issues in the forestry sector was held on Monday.

The conference was on the occasion of the International Day of Forests, the ministry said in a statement.

“Environmental problems are all interconnected.

“If we lose trees, we will lose water, air, soil and even life,’’ Minister of Environment and Tourism Bat-Ulzii Bat-Erdene said.

He urged the country’s forestry authorities and citizens to contribute to planting more trees and protecting the environment.

Mongolia has a total land area of 1,564,116 square km, only around 8 per cent of which is covered by forests.

About 77 per cent of the country’s total territory has been affected by desertification and land degradation, according to official data.

Therefore, the Asian country launched a nationwide tree-planting campaign “Billion Trees’’ initiated by the president in October 2021.

He said the tree planting was aimed to plant at least a billion trees by 2030 to combat desertification.

The country had planted more than 10 million trees across the country since the launch of the tree-planting campaign, according to the ministry.

Source : Enviro News Nigeria

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