During a working visit to Almaty, the Minister of Emergency Situations of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Major General Chingiz Arinov, visited the Almaty branch of the state institution "Kazseldenkorgau", got acquainted with the activities of the branch, and inspected a number of facilities, including the central dispatch center and the condition of automobiles and special equipment.

  During the visit, the head of the department, together with employees of Kazseldenkorgau, conducted an aerial reconnaissance to monitor and assess the avalanche situation. Special attention was paid to the new equipment installed to prevent avalanches.

  Chingiz Arinov was introduced to and tested the "DaisyBell" mobile avalanche prevention system. This device is a metal cone attached to a helicopter by a cable. The principle of operation of the device is to remotely initiate the breakdown of the nitrogen-hydrogen mixture in the cone, which contributes to the effective descent of the avalanche and allows preventing extremely serious consequences. The DaisyBell avalanche protection system has been successfully used in European countries, including Russia, and is undergoing testing in Kazakhstan to assess its performance in local climatic conditions.

  As part of aerial reconnaissance by the Kazaviakutkaru JSC helicopter, the system was tested with preventive avalanches in avalanche-prone areas of the Bolshoi and Malye Almaty river basins.  The Minister noted the need to use new technologies in preventive work during the avalanche danger period and gave relevant instructions.

Avalanches are one of the most dangerous natural phenomena in Kazakhstan that pose a threat to human life. The avalanche danger period lasts from November to May, and in high-mountainous regions, avalanches can occur year-round. There are 619 avalanche-prone areas in the country, 165 of which are located in Almaty. In recent years, with the increasing popularity of winter recreation, the risk to human life has increased significantly.

  To prevent avalanches, Kazseldenkorgau annually conducts up to 150 preventive unloadings, the volume of snow can reach 250 thousand cubic meters. In the winter season of 2024-2025, 15 preventive unloadings were carried out with a total volume of about 6665 m3 of snow.

  According to the forecast of the Kazhydromet RSE, high temperatures and heavy precipitation are expected in most parts of the mountainous territory in January and February 2025, which will lead to an unstable state of the snow cover and increase the likelihood of avalanche-prone events.

Source : https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/emer/press/news/details/913096