{"id":41327,"date":"2022-01-21T11:07:56","date_gmt":"2022-01-21T10:07:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/novastan.org\/en\/?p=41327"},"modified":"2023-03-30T17:17:42","modified_gmt":"2023-03-30T15:17:42","slug":"kyrgyzstan-poverty-hides-behind-bishkeks-smog","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/novastan.org\/en\/kyrgyzstan\/kyrgyzstan-poverty-hides-behind-bishkeks-smog\/","title":{"rendered":"Kyrgyzstan: Poverty hides behind Bishkek\u2019s smog"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><b><span lang=\"en-US\">As winter arrives in Bishkek, the sun does not shine on <\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">Kyrgyzstan\u2019s capital<\/span><span lang=\"en-US\"> city and the inhabitants have to live in a constant cloud. This is no fog created by winter precipitations, but a grey haze, slowly intoxicating the residents. That smog has become one of Bishkek\u2019s pressing problems over the past few years.<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span lang=\"en-US\">On November 7, 2021, the capital of Kyrgyzstan was the city with the highest level of polluted air in the world, with an AQI of 269 (Air Quality Index), the AQI norm being 100, <\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">describes Kyrgyz media <a href=\"https:\/\/kloop.kg\/blog\/2021\/11\/08\/bishkek-vozglavil-rejting-gorodov-mira-po-urovnyu-zagryaznyonnosti-vozduha\/\">Kloop<\/a><\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">. A year ago, Bishkek was already the city with the highest level of polluted air in the world, <\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">pointed Kyrgyz press agency <a href=\"https:\/\/24.kg\/obschestvo\/175140_zagryaznenie_vozduha_vbishkeke_stolitsa_vyishla_vlideryi_pozagryazneniyu\/\">24.kg<\/a>,<\/span><span lang=\"en-US\"> and has been several years in the top of the cities with the <a href=\"https:\/\/24.kg\/obschestvo\/175862_zagryaznenie_vozduha_vbishkeke_stolitsa_vtop-5v_reytinge_samyih_gryaznyih\/\">most polluted air<\/a> <\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">in the world<\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><p><em>For more news and analysis from Central Asia, follow us on <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/Novastan_Eng\">Twitter<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Novastan.org\/\">Facebook<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/telegram.me\/novastan\">Telegram<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/fondation-novastan\/\">Linkedin<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/novastanorg\/\">Instagram<\/a>.<\/em><\/p><span lang=\"en-US\">According to the ecological organization Movegreen, the causes of air pollution are coal heating and other kinds of heating, chaotic urban development, the increasing number of cars, frequent temperature inversions, and the absence of winds.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Illegal settlements are mostly affected<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p><span lang=\"en-US\">But the smog most affects residents living in illegal buildings, where hundreds of thousands of people from the different regions of Kyrgyzstan live in cramped conditions, <\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">says <a href=\"http:\/\/movegreen.kg\/2021\/09\/03\/v-kakom-rajone-bishkeka-zimoj-vozduh-chishhe-karta-za-2-otopitelnyh-sezona\/\">Movegreen<\/a><\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">. One of these areas is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/place\/Archa+Beshik,+Bichkek,+Kirghizistan\/@42.8269185,74.5563014,13z\/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x389ec99daedfda3d:0x747678a914db5c2e!8m2!3d42.8293376!4d74.5521869\">Archa-Beshik<\/a>, standing in the south-east part of Bishkek. Archa-Beshik is located only 40 minutes from the center of the capital, but it creates a sharp contrast against the background of luxury houses, smooth cobblestones, and trendy coffeeshops of the center.<\/span><span lang=\"fr-FR\"><b>Read more on Novastan&nbsp;: <\/b><\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/novastan.org\/en\/kyrgyzstan\/kyrgyzstan-why-there-is-so-much-pollution-in-bishkek\/\"><b>Kyrgyzstan: why Bishkek\u2019s air quality is so poor<\/b><\/a><span lang=\"en-US\">In the newly-built neighborhood, roads are uneven: some residents are lucky to have asphalt, others only have gravel covering, and the unluckiest ones have to walk through mud and slush. This also reflects on the <\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">architecture<\/span><span lang=\"en-US\"> of Archa-Beshik, where uniform buildings are chaotically located next to run-down barracks. Occasionally, some rich mansions with covered courtyards can be found among the buildings of Archa-Beshik.<\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">The first residents arrived in the late 1990s, and the neighborhood then started to build up, attracting more and more people from the other regions of the country and those in search of a cheap plot to purchase. The plots in Archa-Beshik now cost tens of thousands of dollars, and wealthy people come here to build mansions away from the city fuss.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"hp-newsletter col-span-3 lg:col-span-1 flex flex-col bg-primary-100 border-t-8 border-secondary-500 rounded-lg justify-center items-center lg:items-stretch px-6 py-6 gap-4 box-border\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"flex\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"enveloppe\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<i class=\"far fa-envelope text-5xl text-secondary-300\"><\/i>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"formulaire_nl\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"font-bold text-xl block\">The whole of Central Asia in your inbox\n<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe to our free weekly newsletter\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<form class=\"flex w-3\/4 lg:w-full\" action=\"https:\/\/us4.list-manage.com\/subscribe?u=6a15a2256d412b041fdec39e8&amp;id=d479236523\" method=\"post\" id=\"mc-embedded-subscribe-form\" name=\"mc-embedded-subscribe-form\" class=\"validate\" target=\"_blank\" novalidate=\"\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<input class=\"flex-grow py-2 px-3 border border-primary-300 rounded-l\" type=\"email\" placeholder=\"Email\" name=\"EMAIL\" id=\"mce-EMAIL\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"bg-secondary-500 py-2 px-3 text-white rounded-r-md border border-secondary-500\" type=\"submit\" value=\"\" name=\"subscribe\">Register<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/form>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"#\" class=\"underline text-secondary-700\">Click here for the latest issue\n<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div><!-- newsletter -->\n\t\t\n\n\n\n<p><span lang=\"en-US\">36-year-old Aliya Baktiyarova <\/span><span lang=\"en-US\"><i>(name changed)<\/i><\/span><span lang=\"en-US\"> lives in Archa-Beshik and moved here from <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Kemin\">Kemin<\/a> 20 years ago, when the demand for land in illegal buildings was not so high. Aliya Baktiyarova lives here with her husband and mother-in-law, raising up three children and ex<\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">pec<\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">ting a fourth one.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u201c<span lang=\"en-US\">When you have nothing to feed your children and not enough money, the smog is the least of your worries&#8221;<\/span><\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p><span lang=\"en-US\">The family lives on one of the alleys, in a modest single-story accommodation; while Aliya Baktiyarova and her husband are working, her mother-in-law looks after the children. She works as a seamstress, not far from home: every day at 9 am, Aliya Baktiyarova sits down at her sewing machine and only stops working at 9 pm. Now seven months pregnant, with her big belly, under the rumble of the sewing machines, she deftly sews dresses for hours on end, sometimes stretching her sore back.<\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">The one rule in the sewing workshops is the following: the more you sew, the more you get paid. And the Baktiyarovs really need money, as the police officer\u2019s salary of Aliya Baktiyarova\u2019s husband of 14 000 soms (<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"en-US\">\u00a3<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">1<\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">22<\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">) is not enough to feed the family.<\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">With the cold weather, the Baktiyarov family has more expenses: they need to dress the children and heat the house. The family has been heating with coal for many years; this year, they bought five tons of coal, at 5 000 soms (<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"en-US\">\u00a3<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">43<\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">) per ton.<\/span>\n\n\u201c<span lang=\"en-US\"><i>When you have nothing to feed your children and not enough money, the smog is the least of your worries. The smog is not only harmful to the children, but also to old people, who get sick. It is very harmful. But we don\u2019t have a choice, if we don\u2019t heat the house, the children will get sick. We\u2019d rather use firewood, but it burns too fast\u201d<\/i><\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">, Aliya Baktiyarova explains <\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">to Novastan<\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">.<\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">At the moment, only one company, Gazprom Neft, provides gas supply for houses in Kyrgyzstan. In order to supply your house with gas, you have to build a gas pipe to the house from the main pipes, costing 600 soms (<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"en-US\">\u00a3<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">5.22<\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">) per meter. Then, you need to buy a boiler, costing tens of thousands of soms, and pay 18 soms (<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"en-US\">\u00a3<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">0.<\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">15<\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">) per cubic meter of gas.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Gas is too expensive for most&#8230;<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p><span lang=\"en-US\">In Archa-Beshik, very few houses are connected to gas heating, it is expensive for most of the families living here, like the Baktiyarov family and their neighbors.<\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">To bring gas to their alley, the family and their neighbors need to gather about 22 000 soms (<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"en-US\">\u00a3<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">191<\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">) from each house for laying the pipes. Aliya Baktiyarova and her husband barely managed to gather the amount for their contribution, but their neighbors are in no hurry for gas supply.<\/span>\n\n\u201c<span lang=\"en-US\"><i>We can\u2019t buy a stove at the moment, because the cheapest one costs 25 000 soms <\/i><\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">(<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"en-US\">\u00a3<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">217.8<\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">)<\/span><span lang=\"en-US\"><i>. The good ones cost anything from 70 000 soms <\/i><\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">(<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"en-US\">\u00a3<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">610<\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">)<\/span><span lang=\"en-US\"><i>. In total, altogether with the equipment, it would cost 100 000 soms <\/i><\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">(<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"en-US\">\u00a3<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">871<\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">)<\/span><span lang=\"en-US\"><i>. If the state had come up with government support, had provided stoves, or at least had conducted them for free, many people would have agreed. So now, until every neighbor on the whole alley does not gather about 22 000 soms, we won\u2019t be connected. On 20 people, five can\u2019t afford to chip in\u201d<\/i><\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">, Aliya Baktiyarova says.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">&#8230;but not for everyone<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p><span lang=\"en-US\">A few kilometers away from the Baktiyarovs, lives another family, the Smanovys: they have been living for already four years in a paved beige mansion. Gulnur Smanova is 55 years old, she is an experienced businesswoman and used to live in Kazan, Russia, where she spent several decades of her life. She moved to Archa-Beshik in search of a quieter place far from the concrete jungle to spend her old age.<\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">In Kyrgyzstan, Gulnur Smanova makes things to order and her children sell them in Russia. She lives in Archa-Beshik with her husband, her son, her daughter-in-law and her three grandchildren. She installed gas supply in her house in 2019, as soon as it was proposed to her; it costed her 150 000 soms (<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"en-US\">\u00a3<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">1 307<\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">), which was not too big a cost for her. <\/span>\n\n\u201c<span lang=\"en-US\"><i>There wasn\u2019t any difficulty in conducting gas. Everything went normal. Our two-story house is 280 <\/i><\/span><span lang=\"en-US\"><i>square meters<\/i><\/span><span lang=\"en-US\"><i>. In Bishkek, there\u2019s only one cold month during winter. Since the house is well insulated, we only pay 15 000 soms for the cold month, and about 9 000 <\/i><\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">(<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span lang=\"en-US\">\u00a3<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">78<\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">)<\/span><span lang=\"en-US\"><i> for the other months <\/i><\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">[<\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">for <\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">gas bill]<\/span><span lang=\"en-US\"><i>. We\u2019ve been heating the house since October, because we have very young grandchildren\u201d<\/i><\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">, Gulnur Smanova says <\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">to Novastan<\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">.<\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">According to her, her family no longer goes out for walks in winter because of the smog. On top of that, some of her neighbors constantly heat with coal, causing a black stream of smoke from the pipes to get into other houses. <\/span><span lang=\"en-US\"><i>\u201cBut I understand them. People have different budgets. Connecting to gas is expensive. It would be better if people and cars would switch to gas. But it all comes down to money\u201d<\/i><\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">, Gulnur Smanova regrets.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Authorities are selling discounted coal<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p><span lang=\"en-US\">In Kyrgyzstan, gas is a luxury, and most residents prefer more affordable local coal from <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Karakeche\">Karakeche<\/a> mines in the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Naryn_Region\">Naryn region<\/a>, <\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">in the center of the country<\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">. The same coal is also used at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gem.wiki\/Bishkek_power_station\">Bishkek thermal power plant<\/a>, one of the largest consumers of coal.<\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">The coal of Karakeche is not only cheaper than gas, but also much cheaper than the coal imported from Kazakhstan. Nevertheless, the ecologists <\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">of Movegreen <\/span><span lang=\"en-US\"><a href=\"http:\/\/movegreen.kg\/2021\/04\/27\/analiz-dannyh-kachestvo-vozduha-v-zimnij-period-za-poslednie-tri-goda-bylo-neblagopoluchnym-dlya-zdorovya-bishkekchan\/\">consider it<\/a> to be brown coal, which has a higher ash content than the imported one. It also has a lower heating value, which means that people need to heat their house more often.<\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">Since mid-November, the Kyrgyz authorities have opened a point of sale for coal at a discounted price in order to provide economic support to the citizens. While a ton of coal from Karakeche was sold for anything from 5 000 soms (<\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">\u00a343.6<\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">), the authorities sold it for about 3 000 <\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">soms<\/span><span lang=\"en-US\"> (<\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">\u00a326.1<\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">), described KyrgyzCoal (KyrgyzKomur) in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/permalink.php?story_fbid=943043969903594&amp;id=284613389079992\">Facebook post<\/a>.<\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">This led to thousands of people waiting in line for several days, hoping to buy cheaper coal. Among those people, Aliya Baktiyarov<\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">a<\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">\u2019s husband waited for several days, succeeding to purchase <\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">some<\/span><span lang=\"en-US\"> of discounted coal. <\/span><span lang=\"en-US\"><i>\u201cMy husband received two tons, and it was brought to us within a week. There were a lot of people. In order to get more coal, you had to wait in line again. Some people bought this coal for 3 000 soms a ton, and then resold it somewhere else for 5 000\u201d<\/i><\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">, Aliya Baktiyarov<\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">a<\/span><span lang=\"en-US\"> says.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Saving money to buy coal<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p><span lang=\"en-US\">40-year-old Nurzhigit Kyrgyzbayev, a resident of <a href=\"https:\/\/goo.gl\/maps\/yRZ3qHe6ueyv122eA\">Enesay estate<\/a> and a father of five, was also waiting in line. On November 16, the man reported that he used to heat his house with electric heaters, but because of the ban on their use due to the energy crisis, he fully switched to coal.<\/span>\n\n\u201c<span lang=\"en-US\"><i>My position in line was number 1080. I waited in line for four hours. During the heating season, we spend more money, at least 15 000 soms <\/i><\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">(<\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">\u00a3130.7<\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">)<\/span><span lang=\"en-US\"><i> for coal. We start saving money already during fall. There\u2019s a limitation on electricity, and gas is expensive to install. At least they\u2019re giving that. The stress is now on coal, because common people now all use it to heat their houses\u201d<\/i><\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">, he says <\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">to Novastan<\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">.<\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">While Nurzhigit Kyrgyzbayev was standing in line for coal, a serpentine of people wanting to save money despite the cold and the slush formed. Demand for coal increased in 2021 due to restrictions on the use of electric heaters: Kyrgyzstan faced an energy crisis in 2021 because of seasonal water shortages in the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Toktogul_Dam\">Toktogul reservoir<\/a>, <\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">described American media <a href=\"https:\/\/eurasianet.org\/kyrgyzstan-turns-off-lights-to-prepare-for-crisis\">Eurasianet<\/a><\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span lang=\"en-US\">&#8220;We will end up with a lot of health issues, like allergies and heart diseases&#8221;<\/span><\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p><span lang=\"en-US\">The Kyrgyz authorities have repeatedly raised the issue of the smog over the capital\u2019s sky, but it did not go beyond the stage of discussions. On December 16, Azamat Temirkulov, head of the Department for Analysis and Monitoring of reforms of the presidential administration, declared the importance of fighting the causes of the smog, but did not offer any solutions, <\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">relays Kyrgyz media <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/kaktus.kyrgyzstan\/videos\/190850226584250\">Kaktus<\/a><\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">.<\/span>\n\n\u201c<span lang=\"en-US\"><i>Our citizens are heating with coal in private houses and housing estates. Around Bishkek, there are 47 housing estates located in the eastern, northern, and western parts of the city. Those places are heated with coal. There is also the problem of the vehicles and their exhausts in the center of the capital, as well as chaotic urban constructions and the <\/i><\/span><span lang=\"en-US\"><i>lack of wind blowing over <\/i><\/span><span lang=\"en-US\"><i>the city\u201d<\/i><\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">, Azamat Temirkulov reported, without proposing any solution.<\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">During the<\/span><span lang=\"en-US\"> Parliament convocation in December 2021, legislator Baktybek Turusbekov also declared that the government did not take any measures and did not interact with the Parliament.<\/span>\n\n\u201c<span lang=\"en-US\"><i>Several Prime ministers asked for this issue to be solved, and among them Akylbek Zhaparov. Not a single point of the program for the eradication of air pollution has been resolved, there are only statements. A city with a million of residents is breathing this; we will end up with a lot of health issues, like allergies and heart diseases\u201d<\/i><\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">, Baktybek Turusbekov declared <a href=\"https:\/\/24.kg\/vlast\/216586_smog_nad_bishkekom_vjogorku_keneshe_zayavili_chto_kabmin_nereshaet_problemu_\/\">to 24.kg<\/a>.<\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">On December 22, the economist Kuban Choroyev declared to Novastan that the type of heating used is directly linked to the level of income. According to him, if the price and the policy concerning conducting gas stay the same, Bishkek will continue breathing smog for many more years to come.<\/span>\n\n\u201c<span lang=\"en-US\"><i>Many would switch to gas, because it\u2019s convenient and not more expensive for heating than coal. But if you count installation, boiler and other expenses, it goes up to more than 1,000 dollars. Most people can\u2019t afford it and prefer to spend less money on coal\u201d<\/i><\/span><span lang=\"en-US\">, Kuban Choroyev explains. <\/span><span lang=\"en-US\"><i>\u201cThe industry should pursue a better policy, for example, they could connect people to gas for free, and instead charge a little bit more monthly, along with the gas bill. There\u2019s a failure in the industry. [\u2026] If the connection policy was changed, the capital could be fully connected to gas in three years.\u201d<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-right\"><b>Aizirek Imanalieva\nIndependent journalist based in Bishkek<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"hp-newsletter col-span-3 lg:col-span-1 flex flex-col bg-primary-100 border-t-8 border-secondary-500 rounded-lg justify-center items-center lg:items-stretch px-6 py-6 gap-4 box-border\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"flex\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"enveloppe\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<i class=\"far fa-envelope text-5xl text-secondary-300\"><\/i>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"formulaire_nl\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"font-bold text-xl block\">The whole of Central Asia in your inbox\n<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\tSubscribe to our free weekly newsletter\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<form class=\"flex w-3\/4 lg:w-full\" action=\"https:\/\/us4.list-manage.com\/subscribe?u=6a15a2256d412b041fdec39e8&amp;id=d479236523\" method=\"post\" id=\"mc-embedded-subscribe-form\" name=\"mc-embedded-subscribe-form\" class=\"validate\" target=\"_blank\" novalidate=\"\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<input class=\"flex-grow py-2 px-3 border border-primary-300 rounded-l\" type=\"email\" placeholder=\"Email\" name=\"EMAIL\" id=\"mce-EMAIL\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"bg-secondary-500 py-2 px-3 text-white rounded-r-md border border-secondary-500\" type=\"submit\" value=\"\" name=\"subscribe\">Register<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/form>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"#\" class=\"underline text-secondary-700\">Click here for the latest issue\n<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div><!-- newsletter -->\n\t\t\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As winter arrives in Bishkek, the sun does not shine on Kyrgyzstan\u2019s capital city and the inhabitants have to live in a constant cloud. This is no fog created by winter precipitations, but a grey haze, slowly intoxicating the residents. That smog has become one of Bishkek\u2019s pressing problems over the past few years. On [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1552,"featured_media":41330,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[4149,4362,4083,4105,2578,780,4504,2713,4073],"coauthors":[4515],"class_list":["post-41327","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-kyrgyzstan","tag-bishkek","tag-coal","tag-environment","tag-gas","tag-kyrgyzstan","tag-pollution","tag-poverty","tag-smog","tag-society"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/novastan.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41327","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/novastan.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/novastan.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novastan.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1552"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novastan.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41327"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/novastan.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41327\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":43555,"href":"https:\/\/novastan.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41327\/revisions\/43555"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novastan.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41330"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/novastan.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41327"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novastan.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41327"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novastan.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41327"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novastan.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=41327"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}