The flames engulfed the waste site and smoke covered Nookat.
According to the press service of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the fire was extinguished by 20:18.
“On November 18, information was received about a fire at the landfill in the village of Өсөр. To extinguish it, the first unit from the Nookat District Fire and Rescue Service No. 71 was dispatched at 19:13. The fire was localized at 19:45 and completely extinguished by 20:18. There are no casualties, and the cause is being investigated,” the press release states.
According to Asanbek Mamyrayimov, the sanitation service of Nookat was fined 28,000 soms.
“We have already warned about the situation at the landfill twice and imposed fines of 28,000 soms for violations specified in Article 230 of the Code of Offenses. Based on yesterday's incident, a fine was also imposed. We plan to propose to the city administration to take measures against the sanitation service employees, as there was no control over the contents of the landfill. If similar incidents recur, we will be forced to contact law enforcement agencies for a legal assessment,” A. Mamyrayimov added.
According to Nookat Mayor Askarali Abdibayev, the landfill has reached its capacity.
“The headquarters is working on solving this problem. We plan to carry out reclamation. The landfill receives waste not only from the city but also from 6-7 surrounding rural districts. The area is 1 hectare. Since the landfill is overloaded, gas is released, which can cause fires. We are considering the possibility of using a free plot of land nearby for waste disposal, and then covering it with soil to prevent fires. We will continue to work in this direction until spring, until we find a new location. We have approached the district administration with a request to allocate land. We need 3.5 hectares for a new landfill, and there are no free plots in the city. Even if a plot is found, its construction will require 30 million soms, and such funds are not available in the city budget,” the mayor concluded.
