Public Beach near the Village of Oy-Bulak. Pollution of Issyk-Kul. Poaching. Old Nets. Trash on the Beach.
Coordinates: 42°43'42.1"N 78°06'05.9"E
Today, at the bottom of Lake Issyk-Kul, you can find almost anything—from the remains and artifacts of ancient settlements to rubber slippers, used car tires, and even old furniture. Moreover, the amount of modern "goods" in the lake increases year by year. Sometimes trash is retrieved from the bottom, but the quantity of waste brought to the surface is incomparably less than what is thrown into the lake.
According to divers, the main elements of the trash are plastic bottles and bags, as well as swimming gear from tourists. The majority of the pollution is concentrated around resorts and other recreational areas.
A true disaster for the ecosystem of Lake Issyk-Kul and its biodiversity remains the synthetic nets produced in China; these nets slowly decompose into microplastics and enter the food chains of the lake's bio-organisms, including fish. Additionally, fishermen have adapted to use large plastic bottles as markers for the spots where they cast their nets. During storms, these bottles can break loose. Some float on the surface, while others sink to the bottom. This accumulates over the years.
Participants in the Volunteer Movement "Clean Issyk-Kul" have conducted numerous dives in various locations around Issyk-Kul and have filmed materials showing that the pollution of the bottom is a threatening trend, which seems challenging to tackle but must be addressed immediately. After all, the low cost and wide availability of nets lead fishermen not to clean them up even after fishing is over. Abandoned nets pose dangers to migratory birds and other inhabitants of the lake.
Underwater cleaning of trash is a complex process. It is not just a walk with scuba gear. Trained specialists with significant diving experience and sufficient time spent underwater are needed. Work at depth carries increased health risks. Finding such "specialists" is a difficult task. Of course, there are some in the Ministry of Emergency Situations, but they are very few and have their hands full. Another complication is the lack of a full-fledged material base in the necessary volume; without it, eliminating all the dumps at the bottom of the lake is practically impossible.
No one knows how much trash has accumulated at great depths and how to raise it. Meanwhile, the trend of increasing underwater waste deposits year after year poses a threat to the viability of the biosystem of Lake Issyk-Kul, which is a national treasure for the Kyrgyz Republic.
While conducting "Clean Issyk-Kul" activities to clean the lake bottom from old fishing nets and household waste, we invite the leadership of the villages and local activists to participate in cleaning the shores from plastic waste each time. Unfortunately, in most cases, village heads cite extreme busyness and the lack of even two or three conscientious individuals to maintain cleanliness on the shores of their native lake, where they were born, live, and thrive. But we believe that one day people will change their consumer attitude towards Nature, and the World will become better, and Issyk-Kul cleaner! We continue to carry out planned work to identify new pollution zones from plastic and other waste along the shores of Lake Issyk-Kul caused by human activity.
REFERENCE: Oi-Bulak is a village in the Tyup District of the Issyk-Kul Region of Kyrgyzstan. It is part of the Kuturgin rural district.
REFERENCE: The Government of Kyrgyzstan also notes that an unfavorable ecological situation has developed in the resort area of Issyk-Kul. This has already led to a decrease in the recreational value of the lake complex, and if existing negative trends continue, it may result in irreversible ecological and economic losses. One of the main sources of pollution is the cities and settlements located in the coastal zone and along the banks of rivers flowing into Issyk-Kul. Many private resorts, recreation houses, hotels, and other facilities lack sewage systems and treatment facilities.
EcoMiR - Environmental Monitoring and Investigations thanks the "Clean Issyk-Kul" Foundation for the provided material.
Today, at the bottom of Lake Issyk-Kul, you can find almost anything—from the remains and artifacts of ancient settlements to rubber slippers, used car tires, and even old furniture. Moreover, the amount of modern "goods" in the lake increases year by year. Sometimes trash is retrieved from the bottom, but the quantity of waste brought to the surface is incomparably less than what is thrown into the lake.
According to divers, the main elements of the trash are plastic bottles and bags, as well as swimming gear from tourists. The majority of the pollution is concentrated around resorts and other recreational areas.
A true disaster for the ecosystem of Lake Issyk-Kul and its biodiversity remains the synthetic nets produced in China; these nets slowly decompose into microplastics and enter the food chains of the lake's bio-organisms, including fish. Additionally, fishermen have adapted to use large plastic bottles as markers for the spots where they cast their nets. During storms, these bottles can break loose. Some float on the surface, while others sink to the bottom. This accumulates over the years.
Participants in the Volunteer Movement "Clean Issyk-Kul" have conducted numerous dives in various locations around Issyk-Kul and have filmed materials showing that the pollution of the bottom is a threatening trend, which seems challenging to tackle but must be addressed immediately. After all, the low cost and wide availability of nets lead fishermen not to clean them up even after fishing is over. Abandoned nets pose dangers to migratory birds and other inhabitants of the lake.
Underwater cleaning of trash is a complex process. It is not just a walk with scuba gear. Trained specialists with significant diving experience and sufficient time spent underwater are needed. Work at depth carries increased health risks. Finding such "specialists" is a difficult task. Of course, there are some in the Ministry of Emergency Situations, but they are very few and have their hands full. Another complication is the lack of a full-fledged material base in the necessary volume; without it, eliminating all the dumps at the bottom of the lake is practically impossible.
No one knows how much trash has accumulated at great depths and how to raise it. Meanwhile, the trend of increasing underwater waste deposits year after year poses a threat to the viability of the biosystem of Lake Issyk-Kul, which is a national treasure for the Kyrgyz Republic.
While conducting "Clean Issyk-Kul" activities to clean the lake bottom from old fishing nets and household waste, we invite the leadership of the villages and local activists to participate in cleaning the shores from plastic waste each time. Unfortunately, in most cases, village heads cite extreme busyness and the lack of even two or three conscientious individuals to maintain cleanliness on the shores of their native lake, where they were born, live, and thrive. But we believe that one day people will change their consumer attitude towards Nature, and the World will become better, and Issyk-Kul cleaner! We continue to carry out planned work to identify new pollution zones from plastic and other waste along the shores of Lake Issyk-Kul caused by human activity.
REFERENCE: Oi-Bulak is a village in the Tyup District of the Issyk-Kul Region of Kyrgyzstan. It is part of the Kuturgin rural district.
REFERENCE: The Government of Kyrgyzstan also notes that an unfavorable ecological situation has developed in the resort area of Issyk-Kul. This has already led to a decrease in the recreational value of the lake complex, and if existing negative trends continue, it may result in irreversible ecological and economic losses. One of the main sources of pollution is the cities and settlements located in the coastal zone and along the banks of rivers flowing into Issyk-Kul. Many private resorts, recreation houses, hotels, and other facilities lack sewage systems and treatment facilities.
EcoMiR - Environmental Monitoring and Investigations thanks the "Clean Issyk-Kul" Foundation for the provided material.
Discuss?
