Kazakhstan has approved regulations for equipping shelters for the population. The new standard covers basements, underground parking lots, and other subterranean spaces, reports the press service of the Ministry of Trade and Integration of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

In Kazakhstan, a new standard for shelters in case of emergencies will come into effect from January 1, 2026. This refers to ST RK 4016-2025, which establishes requirements for adapting basements, parking lots, and other underground premises for population protection. It was developed by KazStandard as part of the National Standardization Plan for 2025 at the request of the Ministry of Emergency Situations.

The Committee for Technical Regulation and Metrology of the Ministry of Trade and Integration of the Republic of Kazakhstan noted that the document is aimed at improving the level of safety and preparedness for emergencies.

— In global practice, subterranean premises, including basements, ground floors, underground passages, and subways, are widely used for population protection. In Kazakhstan, such spaces can also be adapted for civil defense protective structures, — the department reported.

The new standard eliminates a regulatory gap and introduces uniform requirements for shelters. It defines the procedure for inspecting buildings and adapting them for population protection during emergencies of a natural, man-made, and military nature.

The document establishes requirements for structures and room layouts, as well as for life support systems. These include ventilation, water supply, electricity supply, sanitary conditions, and communications. The procedure for assessing the technical condition of buildings is also established, including checking load-bearing structures and engineering systems.

Measures for reinforcing structures and retrofitting premises, if necessary, are separately provided for. The standard provides examples of typical solutions and a table for assessing shelter suitability.

The project has been coordinated with the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, the Committee for Atomic and Energy Supervision and Control of the Ministry of Energy, the Regional Department for Emergency Situations and the Department for Mobilization Preparation and Civil Protection, technical committees in the field of industrial safety and construction, the NCE "Atameken", the Atomic Energy Agency, the National Nuclear Center, the Institute of Atomic Energy, and other organizations.

Comments and proposals received during the coordination process concerned considering geographical, climatic, and seismic features when developing technical solutions, developing algorithms for protection against unmanned aerial vehicles, including appendices with examples of retrofitting schemes and a table for assessing premises suitability, reinforcing shelter walls and openings, as well as implementing an automated public access system to shelters. All proposals were taken into account.

The adoption of the standard will allow for the formation of a unified approach to the use of subterranean premises and will increase the level of population protection in emergency situations.

Source : https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/mti/press/news/details/1195458?lang=kk