Taza Kazakhstan: an impassable action on a Prokhodnaya river

Almaty power engineers took part in an environmental clean-up

When you turn on the faucet in the apartment and fill the kettle or coffee pot with water, do you remember your walks in the mountains at this moment? Tell me, what is the connection? Direct… For example, think about that plastic bottle that was hidden behind a bush on the last hike, or about an empty tin can, dashing into the gorge? After all be sure to wait for an ecological situation…

You probably won’t go that way… But you grow mountains of garbage on the rack. This is what Almaty power engineers are doing, who regularly participate in environmental clean-up, including cleaning the Passage riverbed on the territory of the Cascade of hydroelectric power plants. This time, as part of the World Cleanliness Day (World cleanup day) they took part in the Republican clean-up “Taza Kazakstan” and expelled a section of the river where the shore took all the trash.

Activists of the Company’s Women’s Club called for joining the action on September 20. Environmentalists and representatives of the Youth Organization of AlES JSC were among the first to traditionally respond. In the spring, they have already collected several dozen bags of garbage here and cleared the gorge.

“I am very pleased that environmental events are often held in our company. So, on June 5, on World Environment Day, which has been held since 1973 under the leadership of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), we, environmentalists from all departments of the AlES, organized an environmental action on the territory of the Butakovsky Gorge,” says Aliya Doskhodzhayeva, environmental engineer at the CHHP-2 n.a. A.Zhakutov. – As an environmentalist, I am a supporter of maintaining cleanliness. But at the same time, I would like to say that cleanliness begins with the person himself, with the family, with his environment. Therefore, people must learn to keep in order not only their own homes, but also the workplace, and the city, and our nature, where we all relax”.

Of course, the power engineers do not know who exactly builds up piles of garbage in our mountains and in the floodplains of rivers, which they regularly take out every season. And since it is the power engineers who are responsible for the purity of the water in our taps coming from the mountains, for the electricity generated by the Cascade of hydroelectric power plants, they cannot remain indifferent to this problem.

But when they started cleaning, it was difficult for them not to be distracted by the pristine beauty of the peaks and mountains. The natural purity and their greatness truly served as a real reproach to all those who treat nature so disgracefully, leaving their “marks” with garbage everywhere they got.

“Nature greeted us with fresh air and beautiful landscapes, which immediately created a wonderful mood,” Bikensulu Mamrayeva, Chief Specialist of the Works and Services Division of the Logistics, Works and Services Department, have taken notice. – The participants of the eco-clean-up were immediately filled with energy and enthusiasm. The joint efforts brought us together, and we felt useful and meaningful. We collected plastic bottles, bags and a lot of other waste. At the end of the clean-up, we not only saw an improvement in the condition of our mountainous area, but also did something important to preserve it. I hope that such events will become regular, and together we will be able to preserve the beauty of our nature”.

So, having actively joined the work within the framework of the large-scale republican environmental campaign “Taza Kazakhstan”, the employees of AlES on September 20 again collected all the garbage that the unnamed tourists had left.

“On Friday, a wonderful environmental action took place on the territory of the Cascade of HPP, bringing together activists of the women’s club, youth organization and environmentalists,” says Zhanerke Panarkhankyzy, a production engineer at the Energoremont PRC. – All the participants demonstrated incredible unity and team spirit while working to clean up the area. Together we cleaned up the garbage, cleared the green areas and put the environment in order. This not only improved the appearance of the territory, but also helped to contribute to the preservation of the environment.

The work went smoothly, with a positive attitude, each participant actively contributed. It was nice to see how different organizations and active citizens come together for a common goal”.

Such actions and common causes unite people. Sanzhar Sain, a leading engineer-technologist of the PTD, an ecologist of the department of the Fuel Reception and Unloading Center, is sure of this.

“The September action brought together not only environmentalists, but also active members of the women’s club and the youth organization, which gave the event a special meaning and scale, Sanjar said. – It is difficult to overestimate the importance of such initiatives, because they contribute not only to improving the environment, but also to the development of a conscious attitude towards nature for many people. The active participation of young people is especially impressive, because they will become the guarantors of environmental safety in the future. The joint efforts of different groups create a positive effect, and the result of this action was a vivid confirmation that together we can do a lot.

Thanks to everyone who took part and put their efforts into organizing and implementing this significant event. I hope that such actions will become a tradition and will be held regularly, attracting even more participants and forming environmentally responsible communities”.

Irina Podskrebkina, Lead engineer for design and estimate work of the Workshop for the operation of buildings and hydraulic structures of the Kapshagayskaya HPP named after Sh.Chokin also took part in the clean-up on September 20. “It’s still great, with benefits for the nature of our region and our own mental balance, we spent a warm autumn day with a team of like-minded people of JSC AlES,” she comments on the event. – Together with our colleagues, we amicably collected garbage, got to know each other better and talked in a relaxed atmosphere, breathed fresh air, and also exchanged positive emotions from the natural beauty we saw. Time flew by unnoticed! It was very pleasant to realize that we are part of a team that not only makes our world brighter and warmer, but also contributes to the formation of ecological consciousness in society, an understanding of nature as another living being over which one cannot rule without harming him and oneself!”

Joint clean-up days are a wonderful tradition that promotes team building, introduces people to work together. Aidana Turganbekkyzy, chief economist of the Fuel Reception and Unloading Center, is sure of this. She adds: “How nice it is, after cleaning, to look at the territory, which, thanks to common efforts, has become cleaner and fresher in autumn”.

“It was a wonderful experience! The organization of the event was excellent: we were provided with all the necessary tools, and also told how to properly sort waste,” adds Oyuna Dashiyeva, a leading engineer in automation and metrology at the Electrotechnical Laboratory of the Kapshagayskaya Hydroelectric Power Plant named after Sh.Chokin. – We have seen how much garbage accumulates in such beautiful natural places, and we understand how important it is to take part in such actions. After all, this is a step towards improving our environment. I am proud that I was able to contribute to the preservation of the purity of nature!”

But, probably, it is no less important that the more people get involved in this movement, the less the mountains and the surroundings of cities and villages will be cluttered up. Such actions are just one small step towards raising people’s environmental awareness. But it needs to be done.

“Employees of all departments of AlES JSC took part in an environmental clean-up of the Cascade of HPP territory. The team was cheerful, with good preparation and the time spent on the clean-up passed unnoticed and quickly. The weather that day was beautiful, the air was clean. I wish there were more clean-up days like this, said Anastasia Bykova, economist of the 2nd category of the Economic Department of CHHP-3.

At the end of the clean-up day, employees of the Cascade of the HPP organized a mini-tour to the HPP-7. And, although the energy engineers themselves, who are industry experts, took part in the action, they say that all the production facilities of AlES JSC differ. Therefore, it was interesting for all of them to listen to the history of the creation of the HPP during the Patriotic War, to see how the HPP-7 works.

“It was incredibly interesting and informative,” admits Zhanerke Panarkhankyzy. – We learned how the hydroelectric power plant functions, what technologies are used to generate energy, as well as how this facility affects the sustainable development of the region. The tour left a lot of impressions and allowed us to take a fresh look at the importance of such objects.

The environmental campaign and the tour have become a real example of successful interaction between public organizations and residents united for a common cause”.

It’s just that power engineers are well aware of how closely the industry is connected with nature, and they also just love our mountains, our rivers, which feed our city and citizens with energy, water, and bring health to everyone …