How bad is the air really?For how much of the year is it really bad?

Hello mrsimms17 and welcome to Expat.com

While waiting for members to revert back with some answers, I invite you to participate on threads in our section Everyday Life in Almaty.

This thread in particular : Living in Almaty

Regards
Kenjee
Expat.com Team

I found a handful of webcams in Almaty and if I follow the course of a month it appears that a few days are pretty awful, some are clear and most are hazy but don't appear too nasty...does that sound correct?  And this is winter as well.

The pollution is year round, partly from vehicle emissions, partly from heating plant coal burning and partly from domestic/commercial fires for heating and cooking (using coal and wood).

When you fly into Almaty, you will see exactly the situation ... a thick layer that hangs over the city and surrounds perpetually.

The government really does need to resolve this problem rather than just spouting words and not backing them up with actions.

However, if you really want pollution, I can recommend that you come to my city, Ust-Kamenogorsk, about 1 000km NE from Almaty ...

In my experience it is not significant to that of Delhi... but there is smog you can see in the morning that does clear-up during the day... It does make you wonder what they are pumping out at night... But there are no strong smell like that in Ufa where they have petroleum plants etc.

I hope this helps.

Kind regards,

Darren