WHAT DOES KAZHYDROMET SAY ABOUT AIR QUALITY IN ALMATY?

In Kazakhstan, environmental monitoring is carried out by Kazhydromet, the national hydrometeorological service. Official data on air quality is published on its website through regular information bulletins. The Almaty Air Initiative foundation studied the 2024 bulletin and compared the official figures with other sources.

What conclusions can be drawn about Almaty’s air quality based on Kazhydromet’s 2024 data?

According to Kazhydromet, the level of air pollution in 2024 was considered high. The graph below shows the number of times the concentration of various harmful substances exceeded the limits throughout the year.

Real-time air quality status can also be tracked via an online map and the AirKz app.

What does this mean? Over the year, 11,024 exceedances of nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) concentration were recorded. On average, this means up to 30 times a day, harmful levels of NO₂ were present in different parts of Almaty, posing a risk to public health.

High NO₂ concentrations can lead to chronic respiratory diseases, trigger and worsen allergies, delay lung development in children, and increase vulnerability to infections.

The bulletin also reports that ozone concentrations exceeded the acceptable limits fivefold in over 1,000 cases. In addition, daily average concentrations of ozone and nitrogen oxide were often above permissible levels.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), breathing air with high ozone concentrations, depending on exposure time, may cause headaches, breathing difficulties, coughing, asthma attacks, and exacerbation of chronic respiratory diseases.

NO₂, ozone, nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide, and other harmful compounds enter the air during the combustion of fuel in internal combustion engines or burning of coal and waste.

Let us also compare the concentration levels of air pollutants in Almaty, based on Kazhydromet data, with the standards set by the World Health Organization (WHO) and with national standards:

Table 1. Comparison of air pollutant concentration levels in Almaty with international standards

It’s important to note that Kazakhstan only has daily and one-time maximum allowable limits, whereas international standards also evaluate annual averages.

According to research conducted by the Almaty Air Initiative, the annual average concentration of PM2.5 was 24.08 µg/m³, which is 4.8 times higher than the WHO recommendation.

National standards are significantly more lenient than international ones. Thus, air pollution in Almaty may not appear critically high by local standards, but by international metrics, it is alarming: the PM2.5 level exceeds WHO’s limit by 4 times, and NO₂ exceeds it by 6 times — underscoring the severely degraded air quality in the city.

How and Where Is Air Pollution Measured in Almaty?

There are 16 monitoring sites across the city:

• 5 manual sampling posts (blue rombs on the map) – technicians collect samples three times per day for laboratory analysis.
• 11 automatic stations (blue circles on the map) – record pollution levels every 20 minutes.

The largest number of monitoring stations — three in each district — operate in the Alatau, Bostandyk, Zhetysu, and Turksib districts. One station each is located in the Medeu, Auezov, Almaly, and Ili districts. There are no air quality monitoring stations in the Nauryzbay district.

At the same time, PM2.5 readings from 8 of the 11 stations show low values, which may indicate inaccurate or missing measurements and presumably do not reflect the actual dynamics of air pollution.

Which Pollutants Does Kazhydromet Monitor?

1. Manual Sampling Stations

At these stations, specialists manually collect air samples three times a day. The samples are then analyzed in laboratories for a broad range of pollutants:

• Particulate pollutants: suspended particulate matter (dust);
• Gaseous compounds: nitrogen monoxide (NO), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), sulfur dioxide (SO₂), carbon monoxide (CO);
• Toxic organic compounds: phenol, formaldehyde;
• Carcinogenic compounds and aromatic hydrocarbons: benzo[a]pyrene, benzene, ethylbenzene, chlorobenzene;
• Xylenes and their isomers: p-xylene, m-xylene, o-xylene;
• Other hydrocarbons: cumene and others.

2. Automated Monitoring Stations

Automated monitoring stations operate continuously, taking regular measurements of ambient air every 20 minutes.

The parameters measured include, depending on the station:

• PM2.5 particulate matter (aerosols and particles with a diameter of up to 2.5 μm)
• PM10 particulate matter (particles with a diameter of up to 10 μm)
• Sulfur dioxide (SO₂)
• Carbon monoxide (CO)
• Nitrogen dioxide (NO₂)
• Nitrogen monoxide (NO)
• Ozone (O₃)

Which Indicators Does Kazhydromet Use in Its Reports?

In its air monitoring reports, Kazhydromet uses several key indices to assess both the overall state of the atmosphere and the frequency and severity of pollution episodes. Below, we explain what these metrics mean and how they are calculated.

The Maximum Permissible Concentration (MPC) is a regulatory threshold used as a reference point for assessing air pollution levels. Formally, an MPC defines a concentration of a substance at which prolonged inhalation should not cause significant harm to human health or adversely affect sanitary and living conditions.

In the case of PM2.5, current international research shows that even concentrations below Kazakhstan’s MPC of 35 μg/m³ may adversely affect health, particularly with chronic exposure. Kazakhstan’s MPC should therefore be regarded primarily as a regulatory threshold rather than a guarantee of a safe level of exposure.

The Air Pollution Index (API) is the main indicator used to assess overall air pollution levels. It takes into account the concentrations of several pollutants, compares them with their respective MPCs, and adjusts the results according to the relative hazard posed by each substance.

In Kazakhstan, the Air Pollution Index is calculated using the Russian RD 52.04.667 methodology, based on data from accredited laboratories. In theory, all measured pollutants are included. In practice, however, the API₅ format is often used, with the calculation based on the five pollutants showing the greatest exceedances of their respective MPCs.

PM2.5 and PM10 are not included in the API because Kazakhstan’s national standards do not assign them a hazard class.

The Standard Index (SI) shows how many times the maximum one-time concentration of a pollutant during a month, quarter, or year exceeds its MPC:

SI = Cmax / MPC

where Cmax is the maximum concentration recorded during the relevant period.

In other words, the SI describes only the single most severe pollution episode involving a particular pollutant.

The Highest Frequency of Exceedance (HF) is an indicator reflecting the proportion of measurements in which the Maximum Permissible Concentration was exceeded. In other words, it indicates the share of measurements in which residents were exposed to polluted air. The indicator is expressed as a percentage (%).

HF can be calculated:

• for a single pollutant at a single monitoring station;
• or in aggregate, using data from multiple monitoring stations and different pollutants.

HF = (number of exceedances / total number of measurements) × 100%

where:

• number of exceedances is the number of cases in which the pollutant concentration exceeded its MPC;
• total number of measurements is the total number of measurements taken for that pollutant at the station;
• the result is expressed as a percentage and shows the proportion of measurements in which the MPC was exceeded.

Air Pollution Trends in Almaty in 2024:

The Air Pollution Index (API) was 5.8, indicating a slight improvement compared with 2023 (5.9). However, the indicator remains above the norm and may pose risks to vulnerable population groups.

The Highest Frequency of Exceedance (HF) decreased to 21%, down from the previous year’s peak of 31%.

The Standard Index (SI) decreased to 7.9, but remains high and corresponds to a high level of air pollution.

Recommendations for Improving Air Quality Monitoring and Data Reporting

Both official and independent data demonstrate that atmospheric air pollution in Almaty remained consistently high throughout 2024.

Almaty Air Initiative proposes several measures to make the city’s air quality monitoring system more transparent, accurate, and focused on protecting public health.

1. Align National Standards with International Guidelines

Target values should be established based on World Health Organization recommendations. In particular, annual average concentration limits should be introduced for five key pollutants: PM2.5, SO₂, NO₂, CO, and O₃.

This would provide a clear benchmark for assessing air quality and developing environmental policy.

2. Make Reporting Clear and Visual

Quarterly and annual reports should be understandable not only to specialists but also to the general public.

We recommend including infographics with data broken down by city district and individual monitoring station. This approach would make air quality information more accessible and useful to a wider audience.

3. Ensure Transparency About Data Sources

In practice, only 4 of Kazhydromet’s 16 stations measure PM2.5, one of the pollutants posing the greatest risks to human health.

We believe it is important for all stations to undergo verification and calibration procedures and for information to be openly provided on which stations are operational, which pollutants they measure, and how frequently measurements are taken.

This would make it possible to objectively assess how comprehensively and representatively the monitoring network covers the city.

4. Ensure Transparency in the Calculation of Composite Indices

When indicators such as the API, SI, and HF are used, reports should clearly disclose which pollutants were included in the calculations, how many measurements formed the basis of each calculation, and which monitoring stations provided the underlying data.