Ecotoxicological assessment of mountain water

Under the supervision of PhD, senior lecturer of the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics of the Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology of the Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Suvorova M.A., the project “Comprehensive ecotoxicological assessment of alpine glacierised drainage basins of main rivers of the Northern Tien-Shan” is being implemented.

The project's main idea is a comprehensive assessment of the toxic potential of the waters of alpine glaciers drainage basins of the main rivers of the Northern Tien-Shan by bioassay and physicochemical methods. Headwaters of almost all, including the largest, rivers of Central Asia and Kazakhstan are located at high altitudes. The mountain cryosphere feeds them, but the ecological state of glaciers drainage basins has not been sufficiently studied as these are regions difficult to access. To date, regional research has focused on glacial breakdown, water availability and hydrology of the proglacial zone, water resource assessment and transboundary water management. At that, the toxic potential, that is, the negative effect of glaciers and alpine waters on living organisms, including humans, is practically unknown. Changes in mountain hydrochemistry are associated with broader environmental changes, particularly the deposition of pollutants carried into the atmosphere and those released from the substrate as glaciers and permafrost melt.

The importance of water quality reflects the basic need for clean water for human consumption and the well-being of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, as outlined in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. “Clean water and sanitation for all” is one of Central Asia and Kazakhstan's most relevant SDGs (SDG 6). Headwaters of the rivers Bolshaya and Malaya Almatinka, Talgar, Kaskelen, Issyk, Turgen, Aksai, Shamalgan, Lepsy, Aksu, Karatal, Chilik, Karasai and others are located in the highlands of Northern Tien-Shan. All of them are the primary source of water consumption for the population and economic activities of Almaty and Almaty agglomeration, as well as the south-eastern regions of Kazakhstan. The project is aimed not only at the ecotoxicological assessment of alpine glacierised drainage basins of the main rivers of the Northern Tien-Shan (Trans-Ili, Dzhungarian and Kungey Alatau), but also to develop an optimal strategy for bioassay of high-altitude water bodies.

Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics