ASTANA – Astana Akim (Mayor) Bakhyt Sultanov is readying the city for the upcoming winter season, reports the Astana Akimat (city administration) press service.
Photo credit: astana.gov.kz.
“We must be fully prepared,” said Sultanov, who heads a commission that recently reviewed the city’s readiness for winter. “Municipal services should work like a clock so that citizens do not experience discomfort on the roads due to weather conditions.”
Public utility companies Astana Tazalyk and Astana Zelenstroy’s equipment were examined, and their management assured the commission of their preparedness in terms of staff and equipment.
The companies’ vehicles are ready for dispatch – 526 vehicles in the Yessil district, 177 in the Baikonur district, 437 in the Saryarka district and 452 in the Almaty district. Their combined fleet includes over 400 specialised machines, and Astana Tazalyk has prepared a 20,000 cubic metre sand-salt mixture, an anti-icing reagent and special rotors.
Snow removal routes and schedules are currently under revision, given the city’s new streets. Astana is also Kazakhstan’s only city in which akimats, rather than capital house maintenance firms (KSK), clean yard territories. In particular, the city akimat seeks to prioritise roads providing access to social facilities, houses and courtyards.
Sultanov offered two proposals, which were supported by the city sanitary cleaning companies.
A new agreement format for city sanitary cleaning contractors was put forward. Contracts are to be multi-year agreements in which companies hold responsibility for the complete cleanliness of certain city districts, as opposed to one-year agreements defined by cleaning service type. The multi-year time period may allow businesses to upgrade their technical base and fleets with greater confidence in the near future.
City districts are also to be expanded into larger plots, given that each plot is to have its own contractual agreement. This approach may ensure a given company’s full employment in its designated area and reinforce its responsibility for the area’s cleanliness.
