National marine detachment being created on Caspian Sea shores

During the Government session under the chairmanship of Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan Olzhas Bektenov the issue of safety on the water bodies of the country was considered. The Minister for Emergency Situations Chingis Arinov made a report on the main directions of work in this area, El.kz cites primeminister.kz.

As he noted, ensuring the safety of citizens on water bodies is one of the important directions of the Ministry.

"Every year hundreds of people die on the water, the main share falls on the summer period. Since the beginning of the year 45 people have drowned, 27 since 1 June," Arinov stated.

According to him, the measures taken by the Ministry to protect the population show their effectiveness, as a result, since 2020 the deaths at water bodies have been reduced from 437 to 227 people. To ensure the safety of the population, 42 rescue posts of the Ministry are functioning on water bodies. Next year, the construction of 3 modular stations will be completed on lakes Shalkar and Imantau, as well as in the city of Kosshi. Another 15 stations are needed on large water bodies.

In addition, mobile stations equipped with boats and rescue equipment are created for the summer period. They carry out duty and patrolling of water bodies. Thus, since the beginning of the year, 76 people have been rescued by the Ministry's rescuers on water bodies, 24 people have been rescued since the beginning of the swimming season. At the same time, according to the Minister, there are certain issues regarding the equipment of rescue units. The available boats leave much to be desired. 

"Now we are systematically buying modern boats, drones and rescue equipment. At the same time, we are working on the creation of a national marine unit on the shores of the Caspian Sea in the Mangystau region," Arinov said.

According to him, given that 95 per cent of drownings are registered in places prohibited for bathing, together with akimats annually increase the permitted places for bathing and recreation. 

Today there are 708 of them in the country, the data are placed on the platform "2GIS". By the end of June, 33 more beaches will be opened additionally. Nevertheless, this is not enough, and we will continue to work in this direction.

"At the same time, some beaches do not meet the established requirements and sanitary norms, which leads to negative consequences. For example, last year 5 people drowned at the places authorised for bathing," the minister said.

Also, according to him, holidaymakers actively use jet skis and their improper use carries the risk of death.

Separately, the Minister noted that according to the Entrepreneurial Code, the Ministry inspects beaches only after the deaths on their territory. In this regard, he said, Akimats need to strengthen control over the infrastructure of recreational facilities when issuing permits. And the Ministry of Transport needs to check small vessels.

The Ministry for Emergency Situations pays special attention to the safety of children. Before and throughout the swimming period, the ministry's lifeguards teach them swimming, rescue and first aid skills. The main cause of children's death is leaving children without adult supervision. In this connection, parents and educators of children's camps are instructed.

At present, there are more than 30 children's camps located near water bodies across the country. Of these, only 19 have equipped bathing places for children.

The Ministry of Education together with akimats urgently need to take measures for the safety of children in the camps. 

The Minister also spoke about another problem at water bodies. This is bathing in an alcoholic state, which leads to death. The Ministry together with the police conducts patrols and raids on authorised and prohibited places. Since the beginning of the year they have been conducted more than 26 thousand, about 3 thousand violators have been brought to administrative responsibility, 49 people have been brought to administrative responsibility since 1 June this year. 

In addition, according to the Minister, since last year the akimats of Almaty and Pavlodar in pilot mode launched a system of early detection of drowning. It is necessary to introduce similar video surveillance and monitoring systems in all regions, especially in prohibited places. This will reduce the risks of death. 

"The Ministry's forces and means have been put on high alert. All necessary measures will be taken to ensure the safety of the population and protect the territory of the country," Chingis Arinov said in conclusion.

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