The Anti-Corruption Agency uncovered violations and systemic flaws in wastewater management, amounting to 86 billion tenge.

Astana. December 19. KAZAKHSTAN TODAY - The Supreme Audit Chamber of the Republic of Kazakhstan has identified a number of systemic issues in the wastewater management sector, reported by the agency's press service.

The audit findings revealed: financial violations amounting to 18.7 billion tenge; ineffective planning of budget funds and assets totaling 23.4 billion tenge; and their inefficient use at 26.7 billion tenge. Potential losses and missed profits amounted to 17.3 billion tenge. State auditors uncovered 59 systemic deficiencies and 277 procedural violations," the SAC informed.

As a result of the review across 67 cities in the republic, new construction, modernization, and reconstruction of sewage treatment facilities are required, while in 27 cities, they are completely absent. There is noted imbalance in the allocation of funds among regions. For instance, the largest funding volumes are directed to Astana, Turkestan, and Almaty regions, despite a higher degree of wear and tear of engineering networks in Karaganda, Pavlodar regions, and Ulytau.

The expertise of 27 complex wastewater projects in Kazakhstan was conducted by organizations lacking the necessary rights, which contradicts legislation. For 15 projects in Turkestan, Karaganda regions, Shymkent, and Astana, implementation deadlines have been violated, and in some cases, no re-examination of the adjusted project documentation was carried out.

Overall, the cost of implementing 35 wastewater projects increased by 70 billion tenge as a result of adjustments, rising from 109 to 180 billion tenge. Moreover, the lack of coordinated actions and low oversight have led to the idling of some facilities. For example, the project for the reconstruction of treatment facilities in Priozersk, Karaganda region, costing 1.9 billion tenge and 98% complete, has been idle since 2017. In Turkestan and East Kazakhstan regions, 6 commissioned treatment plant projects worth 5.6 billion tenge are idle due to the absence of sewage networks.

The state audit also revealed inconsistencies in the actions of authorized bodies, gaps in the regulatory framework, lack of quality monitoring and reliable operational data, low levels of automation and digitalization, weak development of investment projects, and more.

Earlier, the Chairman of the SAC, Alikhan Smailov, announced the conduct of more than 40 audit checks by the SAC in 2025.