Residents of the village of Zholymbet in the Akmola Region are reporting damage to residential houses, which they claim is linked to drilling and blasting operations at the gold mining facilities of the company Altynalmas. Some villagers have already left their homes, while others are awaiting a resolution on the issue of property buyouts and relocation.
WHAT IS CONCERNING RESIDENTS
According to the TV channel 24.kz, residents of the village of Zholymbet are increasingly speaking out about problems with housing safety. The villagers say that after every explosion at the mine, they check their homes for new cracks and other damage.
Local resident Yulia Puzanova said that her family had to move to another part of the village.
"We live here, and they've wrecked all our homes with their explosions. It's impossible to live here. Let them take these houses and give us a fair price for them, so we can buy a normal flat," she said.
The villagers are also complaining about noise and dust. Some residents claim that houses located a considerable distance from the mine are being damaged. Meanwhile, the issue of relocation remains unresolved.
WHAT THE COMPANY ALTYNALMAS REPORTS
According to the company Altynalmas, within the sanitary protection zone of 300 m from the production facilities of the Zholymbet deposit, there are 52 residential houses and 2 individual entrepreneurial properties.
Of these:
- 10 residential houses have already been bought out by the company;
- the owner of one house refused the buyout;
- 12 houses are abandoned and not in use;
- 29 houses remain residential.
Additionally, the company reported that it had bought out another 27 houses located within a 1 km radius of the Yuzhny and No. 6 quarries.
The company noted that property buyouts are carried out in accordance with an internal methodology, and all resident requests are handled on a case-by-case basis. However, the response did not specify the timeline for completing the relocation or the number of houses that may be bought out this year.
HOW THE ENTERPRISE ASSESSES THE SITUATION
The company stated that the drilling and blasting operations are carried out in accordance with safety requirements and are under constant seismic monitoring.
According to representatives of the enterprise, the indicators of seismic impact and the shock air wave are below permissible values.
WHAT MECHANISMS ARE BEING OFFERED BY LOCAL AUTHORITIES
The akimat of the Shortandy District is compiling its own list of dilapidated houses.
"This house must be declared dilapidated. This is done through a specialised organisation that has a licence. After that, they should apply to the akimat with this request. Then a commission will decide on the matter," explained the deputy akim of the district, Bolat Tokishev.
If the decision is favourable, the owners will be registered to receive housing under the existing state support mechanisms.