Central Asia Takes On Smog

Читайте этот материал на русском. Central Asia’s major cities are among the worst in the world when it comes to air pollution.Residents of the region’s metropolises often wake to the sight of smog clouding the sky, and IQAir, a Swiss company that measures global air quality, regularly designates Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan’s major cities as having “very unhealthy” or “hazardous” air.The company’s 2025 ranking of the most polluted countries and regions on the planet was no different.Sitting near the top of the list was Uzbekistan, ranking 10th out of 143 countries for which data had been collected, followed closely by Kyrgyzstan in 19th place, and Kazakhstan a bit lower in 29th.In some ways, the close proximity of Central Asian countries in the global rankings was fitting.Experts stress that the problem of air quality is largely transnational and would require the region’s neighboring states to join forces to tackle it effectively.But despite air pollution imposing weighty costs in terms of lives, Kazakh tenge, Uzbek sum, or Kyrgyz som — it has been linked to over 65,000 premature deaths across the region in 2021 alone and $15.2–$21.7 billion in annual health expenditures — there has been little real cooperation between Central Asian countries in addressing the problem.With air pollution in the region, as a problem, only getting worse, Vlast spoke to experts and activists from Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan to learn what smog-fighting strategies each country is currently adopting, and to hear what solutions might prove to be effective across the entire region.UzbekistanAs a thick, conspicuously yellow smog descended on Uzbekistan’s capital of Tashkent one Saturday last November, life in the city somehow went on as if it was not there at all.As described by local media, children continued to walk to school, adults rushed about their daily lives, and public events went on uncancelled — even a 5,000-step walk organized outdoors to promote a healthier lifestyle, and a city-spanning ceremonial horse parade.And yet, distressingly, air pollution had reached “life-threatening” levels, according to IQAir.Particulate matter-linked readings hovered at three times the national ‘limit’ designated by Uzbekistani authorities — tens of times higher than the World Health Organization's recommended levels for PM2.5.As the sallow colored smog went viral on social media, residents quickly put together petitions and shared instructions on how to report the smog to the ministry of ecology.Some turned to the international community, commenting on posts from the WHO with the hashtag #savethepeopleoftashkent, according to Hook, a local independent media outlet.Before long, Uzbekistan’s government responded.President Shavkat Mirziyoyev introduced emergency measures to try to immediately improve the environmental situation in Tashkent, but his actions were primarily punitive.Authorities launched night-time environmental raids against groups accused of directly contributing to air pollution, primarily targeting greenhouses “without filtration systems” and property owners suspected of burning car tyres as fuel.The raids were conducted by the “ecological police,” a body established days prior by presidential decree.As noted by Uznews, a local news agency, the eco-police was granted authority to use physical force, stun guns, and rubber bullets to take action against violations of environmental legislation.Less punitively, Uzbek authorities also deployed water trucks to spray dust from Tashkent’s streets and trees and reduce air pollution overall.At the time, the city administration noted that this “would not solve the problem fundamentally,” but would, at the very least, "reduce dust levels for several hours”. The emergency measures, particularly the heavy-handed crackdowns carried out by the eco-police, provoked a mixed reaction across the country.In one case, the destruction of a tandyr — a clay oven used to bake Uzbekistan’s legendary samsa — was condemned online as a violation of private property rights and, moreover, cultural sacrilege.The district governor was subsequently reprimanded.The destruction of a tandyr.Screenshot from Gazeta.uz (Telegram).