During a press conference at the Almaty Mayor's Office, YerzhanSeitenov, head of the Green Economy Department, spoke about the prospects for the development of the green fund as part of the adopted changes and additions to the Almaty City Act. Also taking part in the press conference were BatyrAlimzhanov, Managing Director of the Almaty City Development Center, and Tatiana Antonenko, President of the Greening Association of Kazakhstan.
On December 28, 2019, President Kassym-ZhomartTokayev signed changes and additions to the law on the special status of the city of Almaty. The Mayor of Almaty initiated the introduction of 28 new competencies, including in the development of the «green» economy.
Among the new competencies of the Almaty Mayor's Office is the ability to develop and approve its own Rules for the maintenance and protection of green spaces in Almaty.
The development of the new rules will improve the efficiency of work on the development of the green fund of the metropolis. In particular, tools will be introduced to address pre-existing problems. These are standards, regulations, instructions, methodical recommendations governing the maintenance and protection of green spaces growing in populated areas, standards for compensatory planting for cutting down trees without permits.
According to E. Seitenov, there was no method of calculating the damage caused to the green fund during the unauthorized demolition of trees, no need to obtain permission for rejuvenation, the formation of a crown, sanitary pruning of green spaces, which led to the fact that it was done by people who do not have certain experience and skills to perform these works. In the end, all this had a negative impact on the appearance and condition of green spaces.
The new Rules for the Maintenance and Protection of Green Spaces will include standards on rejuvenation, sanitary pruning of green spaces, as well as instructions on technologies for the maintenance of green spaces, as well as responsibility for illegal demolition, damage and damage of green spaces, which will allow to preserve and protect the green fund of the city.
E. Seitenov said that a working group was set up to develop the new rules, which included representatives of the expert community, the public and science. The draft Rules have been completed by 90%.
The draft of the new Rules includes a number of new rules. Among the big ones:
1. All sanitary pruning, rejuvenation of trees will be carried out with the approval of the Almaty Mayor's Office;
2. Compensation restoration of green spaces for sanitary cutting, forced cutting, made with the permission of the mayor's office, will be carried out by planting hardwood seedlings with a trunk girthing of 20-25 cm along the main streets and 14-16 cm in other zones, and conifers - at least 2.5 meters high with a coma (I or Grade II);
3. A method for assessing damage for demolition has been developed to determine the exact cost of the damage caused;
4. The number of compensatory landings in case of emergency demolition - 1 in 1, forced - 1 in 10, and for illegal demolition - 1 in 100;
5. Guarantee period of green spaces - 3 years;
6. Administrators of programs to maintain the area with green spaces on public lands annually in the early spring, spring-summer, summer and summer-autumn periods at least 4 times organize and carry out measures to improve and protect green spaces from pests and diseases.
The draft Rules will be posted on open sources for wide discussion, including on the official website of Almaty’s green economy management. Everyone can send their own proposals to improve the green fund.
«After the agreement with the public of Atameken and other interested bodies and organizations, the new Rules for the Maintenance and Protection of Green Spaces will be submitted to the Maslikhat of the city of Almaty for approval,» E.Seitenov concluded.
