Senator Lyazzat Rysbekova said that the shallowing of the Urals threatens an imminent environmental disaster, the correspondent reports Tengrinews.kz.

"Experts warn that the shallowing of the Ural river, which is the third longest river in Europe, threatens an imminent environmental disaster. The Ural plays a special role in preserving the ecosystem and bioresources of the Northern Caspian, where it flows. Last year, the international geodetic organization assigned the river the fifth and most recent level of pollution, effectively declaring it unsuitable for human use. Over the past five years, the Ural river has become so shallow that navigation on it has become almost impossible, and the number of alluvial land strips called braids has sharply increased. Today, the water level in the Urals has reached a record low.

The Ural is not just a river, but an entire ecosystem. Its shallowing leads to a number of very serious environmental problems: the floodplain of the river is not flooded, numerous lakes that feed the Urals in the dry season dry up, fish die, the ground water level decreases," Senator Lyazzat Rysbekova said, addressing a Deputy request to the country's Prime Minister Askar Mamin.

She added that the shallowing of the river affects the deterioration of the flora and fauna of the river basin, the decrease in agricultural productivity in the region, as well as the supply of drinking water to settlements in the region.

"...for residents of two regions of Kazakhstan, the Ural river is the main source of fresh water. The shallowing of the river has already affected the uninterrupted water supply of the city of Uralsk. If the river is now lost to navigation and water use, then tomorrow millions of people may be without drinking water.

Today, there is an acute problem with water supply in the southern regions of the region (Bokeyordinsky, Zhanybeksky, Zhangalinsky, Kaztalovsky), located in the desert zone. Over the past three years, the channels and estuaries of the districts do not receive enough water due to low water in the Urals, drying pastures cannot provide feed, and the livestock of the villagers is at risk of loss. The existing acute water shortage is also the result of excessive regulation of the Ural river in the upper reaches, " the Senator stressed in her request.

The Deputy considers it necessary:

* create a permanent Kazakh-Russian Commission;

* conduct a large-scale, thorough and comprehensive scientific study by scientists and experts of the Ural river itself and the causes of its shallowing. Only after understanding the reasons and getting the results of research can we talk about what additional measures still need to be taken to solve the problem;

* develop a systematic international program that would solve internal problems in the Ural river basin;

* strictly comply with the requirements of international environmental conventions and obligations signed by the Kazakh and Russian parties (Stockholm Convention on transboundary rivers and lakes);

* carry out continuous environmental monitoring of the Ural river.

 https://tengrinews.kz/kazakhstan_news/ugroze-ekologicheskoy-katastrofyi-zapade-kazahstana-zayavila-419931/

Impossible Foods has always had impressive aspirations. A cutting-edge food innovator, they say they want to get rid of animal husbandry by 2035, although this may not go according to plan. on October 20, the company held a virtual press conference to demonstrate progress in creating a new prototype of dairy-free milk.

The company's founder, Dr Pat brown, said the current plant-based milk does not meet the standards of taste, aroma and texture. The new prototype is expected to be much closer to cow's milk than any of its plant-based competitors. Although it is unknown what the final base protein will be (probably soy) and whether microbial fermentation will be used in the process, lead scientist Laura Klieman said the milk they have experimented with so far is more creamy than other plant-based milk. A demonstration during a press conference showed how it mixes with hot coffee and stays mixed without settling on the bottom, and does not make the coffee grainy or cloudy. Kliman said that it also gives a good foam thanks to stable proteins.

There is no commercial launch date for the milk yet, as it will continue to be developed and improved until the mixture is suitable. According to Kliman, "We are not going to launch a product until it is of the same quality or even better than the version obtained from animals. This is just a demo, we are not announcing a launch at this time."

Impossible invests in R & d (Research and development), hoping to double its team and attract some of the world's leading scientists to a company that is happy to provide funding, facilities, equipment, and support for any research they want to conduct-provided it is consistent with the goal of accelerating the use of plant-based alternatives to animal husbandry.

VegNews reports that Dr. brown encouraged scientists to join the exciting development team during a press conference: "whatever you do, it's a drop in the bucket compared to the impact you can have here with our project ... Leave your work and join us."

This is certainly interesting to look at from the outside. Impossible broke into the market in the last few years, changing the rules of the game by creating a Burger based on soy and potato protein, which is surprisingly similar to real meat. Their goal is to convince meat-eaters that plant-based alternatives can be just as good, if not better, than real meat, and thus fight the environmental destruction caused by animal husbandry. If any company can make meat obsolete, Impossible can handle it as well as possible.

The concept was presented to the public in the village of Saty, Almaty region. It is planned to build three modern visitor centers, campgrounds, ethnic villages and caravanserais in the national park. This was reported by MIA "Kazinform" with reference to the Ministry of Ecology, Geology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan.  “At the same time, special attention is paid to the development of tourist routes and trails. There will be no capital construction. Lightweight constructions are used ” said the ministry's Telegram channel. Daniyar Turganbayev, director of the State Scientific and Production Enterprise "Kolsai Lakes", during the presentation noted that the infrastructure for ecotourism in the national park will be removed from the main lakes so as not to harm the environment. “No objects will be built in the area of Kaindy and Kolsai lakes,” D. Turganbaev said. - All buildings are located below, not in the gorge. This concept was developed taking into account the characteristics of the local nature. Its main goal is not to disturb the ecosystem. We need to be able to relax on foot or by bike without harming the environment. " “Another important goal of the concept is to provide employment for the population. Not only big business, but also the local population should benefit from tourism, ”he said at the presentation. According to the state program for tourism development, the state can get the first results from the development of ecotourism projects this year. “According to preliminary estimates, the number of tourist routes will increase, new jobs will be created for local residents, the hotel fund will expand, and places for tents and camps will appear. At the same time, the income will increase to 150 million tenge per year, ”said Daniyar Turganbaev, Director General of the Kolsai Lakes National State Natural Park during the presentation. In 2019, 87 thousand tourists visited the national park, which brought in an income of about 30 million tenge. In the future, it is planned to create a Public Council for the development of ecotourism in the Kolsai Lakes National Park. “We will submit the Development Concept to the Public Council, which will be created at the National Park. After careful study and discussion in the Council, we will continue to act in accordance with the law. The facilities will be created as part of a major investment project. We are developing a concept so that business representatives fully understand our requirements when they come tomorrow with an investment project. Entrepreneurs participating in the competition will be able to work here only if their ideas correspond to our concept, ”concluded Vice Minister of Ecology, Geology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan Yerlan Nysanbayev. Tourist associations, scientists, experts and public figures who took part in the meeting visited the national park itself and got acquainted with the places where infrastructure construction is planned in the future.

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Kamchatka: Pollution killing sea life in Russian far east

Many dead sea creatures have washed up on beaches in Kamchatka, in Russia's far east, in what is being treated as a major marine pollution incident.

Video and photos posted on social media show dead octopuses, seals and other dead sea life, as well as a large stretch of discoloured ocean. Local residents who used the Pacific beaches complained of vomiting, fever, rashes and swollen eyelids. Initial analysis detected oil products and phenol in the water. The environmental group Greenpeace has called it "an ecological disaster". Kamchatka is one of Russia's remotest regions, famous for its pristine nature and active volcanoes. "We began to see that something was wrong with the water because after an ordinary surf you come out feeling good, but this time it felt like we had burned eyes, we couldn't even see straight," local surfer Rasul Gadzhiev said. 

Another surfer, using the Instagram handle yola_la, wrote that "the seabed is all dead. Octopuses, fish, starfish and sea urchins - they're all dead from Cape Nalychev to Avacha Bay, and that's more than 40km (25 miles)". She said surfers in the area had first complained of feeling ill three weeks ago.

Water samples are being collected in Avacha Bay, Kamchatka

The Kamchatka administration website says Russia's emergencies ministry is investigating. Specialists are collecting samples from the beaches and rivers and using drones to help in their analysis. The website says there were reports in late September that the waters on Khalaktyr beach had changed colour and had a peculiar smell. It confirmed that dead octopuses, seals and other sea creatures had been washed up. Kamchatka governor Vladimir Solodov said volunteers were also helping the authorities in their investigation. "We cannot claim that the ocean is dying wholesale here, but now it's really important for us to assess the scale of this," he said.