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.

Distribution: The highest concentration is in Alatau, Bostandyq, Jetysu, and Turksib districts (3 stations each). Medeu, Auezov, Almaly, and Ili each have one station. No monitoring sites are available in Nauryzbai district.
However, PM₂.₅ readings are low at 8 of 11 stations, possibly indicating measurement gaps or underreporting of actual pollution.

What Pollutants Are Tracked by Kazhydromet Stations?

1. Manual Sampling Posts

Technicians take air samples three times daily, testing for:

• Particulate matter: dust, PM₂.₅, PM₁₀;
• Gaseous pollutants: NO, NO₂, SO₂, CO;
• Toxic organics: phenol, formaldehyde;
• Carcinogens: benz(a)pyrene, benzene, ethylbenzene, chlorobenzene;
• Xylenes: para-, meta-, ortho-xylol;
• Other hydrocarbons: cumene, etc.

2. Automatic Monitoring Stations

These measure air quality continuously every 20 minutes. Parameters usually include:

• PM₂.₅ and PM₁₀;
• SO₂, CO, NO₂, NO, O₃ (ozone).

Key Metrics in Kazhydromet Reports

1. Maximum Permissible Concentration (MPC) – a reference threshold representing the highest safe long-term exposure level. International studies show that even PM₂.₅ levels below Kazakhstan’s MPC (35 µg/m³) can still harm health, so MPC should be viewed as a regulatory threshold—not a safe limit.
2. Air Pollution Index (API) – a composite score comparing pollutant concentrations to their MPCs, weighted by their relative harm. Computed per Russian Method RД 52.04.667. Typically, the “API₅” variant using the five highest pollutants is reported. Note: PM₂.₅ and PM₁₀ aren’t included since national standards don’t classify them by hazard.
3. Standard Index (SI) – the ratio of the highest recorded pollutant concentration in a time period to its MPC:

SI=CmaxMPCSI=MPCCmax​​

Represents the single most severe pollution event.

1. Exceedance Frequency (EF) – the proportion of measurements exceeding MPC relative to total samples:

EF=(nexceedntotal)×100%EF=(ntotal​nexceed​​)×100%

Indicates how much of the time residents breathe polluted air.

2024 Air Quality Dynamics in Almaty

• API = 5.8 (2023: 5.9) – slight improvement but still high.
• EF = 21% (previously 31%) – high frequency of exceedances.
• SI = 7.9 – very high peak pollution levels.

Recommendations

The Almaty Air Initiative proposes:

1. Align standards with WHO guidelines
   • Introduce annual MPCs for PM₂.₅, SO₂, NO₂, CO, and O₃.
2. User-friendly reporting
   • Publish monthly and annual infographics by district and station.
3. Transparency in measurements
   • Ensure all 16 stations measure PM₂.₅, are calibrated, and report substances and sampling frequency.
4. Clarify index calculations
   • Reveal pollutants used and sample counts behind API, SI, EF.