As of January 1, 2013, the territory of the Kyrgyz Republic, according to the State Registration Service under the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic, amounted to 199.9 thousand square kilometers. The largest share of the republic's land area is accounted for by reserve lands (44.5 percent), agricultural lands (32.5 percent), and forest fund lands (13.1 percent).
The territory of the republic contains 1,923 lakes, more than 3,500 rivers and streams, as well as 44 deposits of underground fresh and mineral waters.
According to the Department of Water Management and Irrigation of the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation of the Kyrgyz Republic, approximately 10 million cubic meters of water were extracted from natural sources, including underground fresh water, in 2012, which is 10.5 percent more than in 2011 and 12.7 percent more than in 2008.
Water consumption in 2012 amounted to about 5 million cubic meters, which is 7.7 percent more than the previous year but 8 percent less than in 2008. In 2012, the majority of total water consumption (94.3 percent) was used for irrigation and agricultural water supply, 2.9 percent for household drinking needs, and 1.7 percent for industrial needs. More than 20 percent of the water withdrawn is lost during transportation due to the unsatisfactory condition of irrigation systems.
The largest consumers of water directed towards irrigation and agricultural water supply are the Chuy (23.9 percent) and Osh (17.4 percent) regions. Regarding the use of water for household drinking needs, the largest share is accounted for by Bishkek (over 34 percent) and Osh region (about 30 percent).
As shown by the results of the integrated sample survey of households conducted annually by the National Statistical Committee of the Kyrgyz Republic, in 2012, 92 percent of the population of the republic had access to clean drinking water. When considering access by regions, the highest access to water is among the population living in Bishkek (100 percent), Chuy (99.8 percent), and Issyk-Kul (99 percent) regions.
An important indicator of the quality of life of the population is the state of atmospheric air. In 2012, the volume of pollutant emissions into the atmosphere from controlled stationary sources amounted to over 37 thousand tons, increasing by 2.9 percent compared to the previous year but decreasing by 5.8 percent compared to 2008. However, despite the noted decrease, the total volume of pollutant emissions remains quite significant. About half of the emissions of atmospheric pollutants per square kilometer are accounted for by Bishkek.
Among the main types of air pollutants, emissions of sulfur dioxide averaged 7.8 thousand tons over five years. In 2012, its emissions decreased by almost half compared to the previous year (from 8.3 to 4.3 thousand tons), which is attributed to some enterprises switching to gas usage. Overall, in the republic in 2012, the volume of emissions per square kilometer amounted to about 183 kg, including 7 kg per capita.
In 2012, about 100 million tons of production and consumption waste were generated, which is 5.2 percent more than the previous year, with the largest share accounted for by the Issyk-Kul region (87.1 percent).
The volume of toxic waste in 2012 amounted to nearly 5 million tons, or about 5 percent of the total volume of production and consumption waste. Almost all of the toxic waste volume is attributed to the Issyk-Kul region.
As of the beginning of 2012, there were 16 sites for the disposal of toxic waste in Bishkek with a total area of 1.2 hectares, while in the Issyk-Kul region, the area amounted to 360 hectares.
Source: National Statistical Committee of the Kyrgyz Republic. Department of Environmental Statistics and Information and Communication Technologies.
