Almaty’s air under scrutiny: KazNMU hosts guest lecture by city’s chief ecologist

On 5 December 2025, the Hall of Fame named after academician T. Sharmanov at KazNMU hosted a guest lecture entitled “Almaty’s ambient air: reducing emissions and improving the urban environment”.

For students and staff, it was more than a routine academic event – it was a direct conversation with one of the key figures shaping the environmental agenda of Kazakhstan’s largest city. The lecture was delivered by Dinmukhamed Mukhamedgafurovich Lesbekov, Head of the Republican State Institution Department of Ecology for the city of Almaty” of the Committee for Environmental Regulation and Control under the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

The event was opened by Vice-Rector Zh.A. Kalmatayeva and Dean of the Kh. Dosmukhamedov School of Public Health Zh.A. Kozhekenova, who underlined that, for a medical university, air quality is not only an environmental issue, but an essential determinant of population health.

The audience included students from the Public Health and Medical and Preventive Care programmes, alongside academic staff from the Departments of Public Health, Nutrition named after T. Sharmanov and Epidemiology with a course in HIV infection and communicable diseases. This ensured that the discussion on ecology was genuinely cross-disciplinary — spanning air quality, risk factors and disease prevention.

Mr Lesbekov unpacked the technical abbreviations “PM₂.₅” and “PM₁₀”, explaining why these fine particulate matters are among the principal threats to the health of city residents. The lecture focused on:

the main air pollutants: PM₂.₅, PM₁₀, and nitrogen, sulphur and carbon oxides;

the impact of city-wide gasification on reducing emissions;

why thermal power plants (CHPs) remain a significant source of pollution and what steps are being taken towards their ecological modernisation;

the development of green infrastructure and the expansion of green spaces as a “green shield” for the city;

the operation and enhancement of the air quality monitoring system, and the rationale for extending the network of automated monitoring stations.

Particular attention was given to the Almaty Environmental Quality Improvement Plan for 2025–2028: measures already in progress, initiatives that require active involvement from residents, and the broader message that environmental policy is a shared responsibility of government, business, professionals and citizens alike.

The lecture prompted lively engagement. Students raised questions about the links between air pollution and cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, the role of doctors and public health specialists in shaping environmental policy, and how future healthcare professionals can contribute to public awareness and preventive projects.

KazNMU is steadily developing the format of guest lectures with representatives from socially significant sectors – including ecology, healthcare and public administration. For students, such meetings provide an opportunity to:

hear the current agenda first-hand;

see how decisions are taken at city and national level;

appreciate how knowledge in public health, epidemiology and nutrition is applied in real-world environmental policy.

The guest lecture by Dinmukhamed Mukhamedgafurovich Lesbekov served as an important platform for exchanging experience, discussing Almaty’s environmental challenges and exploring practical solutions to improve the city’s air quality.

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