Kazakhstan's Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources does not yet know how much the national cleanliness standard, being developed on the instructions of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, will cost the state. The ministry said this in response to a request from Kursiv. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
The document being developed is planned to be a set of rules that goes beyond ordinary street cleaning or garbage removal. It is intended to include behavioral standards for Kazakhstanis themselves, as well as requirements for environmental education and volunteer movements.
"The national cleanliness standard is expected to be formed as a comprehensive document combining requirements for the maintenance of territories, sanitary and hygienic infrastructure, environmental education, volunteer activities and the formation of responsible behavior of citizens," the ministry explained.
Currently, the relevant ministry, together with other government agencies, is filling the project with specific content. The finished set of rules will be sent for public discussion, where its fate will be decided.
"The draft document will undergo the review and discussion procedures provided for by legislation in the field of standardization. At the current stage, separate budget funding for the implementation of the standard in the regions and its volumes have not been determined," the Ministry of Ecology summarized.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev announced the proposal to develop a national cleanliness standard at a meeting with participants of the environmental campaign "Taza Qazaqstan". The President emphasized that the initiative should reach a new level and become a conscious choice of society, and that the improvement of cities directly depends on the behavior of residents themselves.
The President urged Kazakhstanis "not to sit idly by and be content with what has been achieved," but to become a progressive country and move forward.
Earlier, Kursiv wrote that Tokayev, together with young people and eco-activists, planted trees in the Presidential Park and called the formation of environmental culture a task enshrined in the Constitution.