How Kazakhstan's cities cope with extreme heat
Now, this is a new reality for which the region has turned out to be almost unprepared. Cities continue to live by old standards and rules, but the number of extremely hot days is growing and disrupting the familiar way of life.
Why heat is becoming one of the main threats to cities and whether it is possible to adapt to the new reality.
Central Asia is heating up
Every summer, the news feeds of Kazakh media are filled with headlines such as “Intense heat approaching Kazakhstan,” “Extreme heat to cover Almaty,” and “Residents warned about behavior in the heat.”
Kazakhstanis received one of the latest such messages a few days ago, when forecasters said the heat in Almaty had broken a record that had stood since 1945: the temperature in the city exceeded +40.
Although hot summers have never been rare for the metropolis, the picture has nevertheless changed significantly. According to the World Bank, hereinafter referred to as the WB, over the past half century, extreme heat not only in Kazakhstan but in all Central Asian countries has begun occurring much more often, lasting longer and covering more days.
In the 1970s, our region experienced an average of about 21 days with high temperatures per year. Today, this figure has risen to 51 days, while the duration of the longest such period has increased from seven to sixteen days.
Moreover, temperatures in Central Asia have already risen by about 2.2 degrees over the past decade compared with the pre-industrial period — faster than the global average.
According to the cited study, Kazakhstan has at least three cities where temperatures are rising fastest:
Semey,
Petropavlovsk,
Uralsk.
Note: What do researchers consider extreme heat? The authors of the WB report emphasize that there is no universal temperature threshold at which extreme heat begins. It is defined relative to the local climate norm. For example, a temperature considered normal for Tashkent in summer may be extreme for Kazakhstan’s northern regions. Therefore, scientists assess not only the degrees on the thermometer, but also the duration of heat, as well as humidity, wind and solar radiation — these are the factors that determine its impact on human health.
"The fact that Central Asia is getting hotter has long been more than just a subjective feeling; rising temperatures are confirmed by years of meteorological data. We are talking specifically about the growth of the average temperature, and in this region, it is increasing faster than the global average."
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Timur Idrisov
independent environmental expert and journalist
Central Asian cities will have to live in extreme conditions
However, the problem is not only that the climate is becoming hotter. It appears that Central Asian countries have not yet fully grasped the scale of these changes or prepared for them.
The authors of the World Bank study Rethinking Cities in Central Asia for a Climate-Resilient and Low-Carbon Future, published in 2025, noted that the region lacks high-quality and comparable data on the state of its cities.
“The lack of standardized and comprehensive data makes it difficult to identify patterns and trends and develop effective policy measures. Improving urban information infrastructure plays an important role in accurate monitoring, identifying areas for improvement and forecasting future trends,” the authors of the study wrote.
At the same time, climate change expert Vladimir Grebnev says official temperature data does not fully reflect what residents of Central Asian cities are already facing in real life.
“When we talk about extreme heat, it is not enough to look only at weather station data. People do not live at weather stations, but among scorching asphalt, heated building facades and cars. That is why the temperature felt by city residents can differ significantly from official figures.”
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Vladimir Grebnev
climate change expert at the Regional Environmental Centre for Central Asia (CAREC)
The WB study Rethinking Cities in Central Asia says cities in our region are, in many ways, creating their own problems. For example, it notes very low levels of access to green spaces: on average, they amount to 7.6 square meters per person, while the European average is 18.2 square meters.
Fortunately, Kazakh cities look better than their regional neighbors in terms of access to green spaces — an average of 16.4 square meters per person — but this is still below the European average.
“The lack of green spaces negatively affects the environmental situation, increases vulnerability to the adverse effects of heat islands and worsens quality of life,” the report says.
In addition, the authors of the study draw attention to chaotic, leapfrog development in the region, as well as the abundance of asphalt and concrete, which create so-called urban heat islands.
Note: A heat island is an area within a city where the land surface temperature is at least 2°C higher than the average for that locality. They form because of a high concentration of buildings and engineering infrastructure. Built-up surfaces absorb more solar heat and then release it into the surrounding environment. During abnormal heat, this effect becomes an additional threat to city residents.
According to Grebnev, another problem for Central Asian cities is that the operation of “air corridors” has been disrupted in many of them. This term refers to undeveloped or low-rise parts of urban territory through which air flows can freely enter the city and provide natural ventilation.
In Almaty, for example, such corridors allow cooler air to descend from the mountains into densely built-up districts. However, high-rise buildings along their path make air circulation more difficult. As a result, heated and polluted air remains in the city longer, intensifying the heat island effect.
For these and many other reasons, extreme summer is becoming not only an environmental problem but also a social one, overloading energy systems, transport and healthcare, and reducing economic productivity.
For example, during the latest heatwave in Kazakhstan, roads were damaged in three regions; in Almaty and Astana, the latest heat increased the number of ambulance calls; and in Kyrgyzstan, high temperatures led to power outages.
How does Europe cope with heat?
At the same time, the problem of high temperatures is not unique to Central Asia: European cities are also suffering from climate change. Expert Timur Idrisov comes from our region but has lived in Italy for many years and knows well the difference between how heat is handled here and in the EU.
“The difference between Europe and Central Asia is not that it is hotter somewhere. The difference is how prepared countries are for such conditions. European states have more resources to respond quickly to heatwaves and invest in long-term adaptation. Yes, not all cities do this equally well, but in many places it has already become part of urban policy,” Idrisov says, sharing his observations.
He adds that some urban adaptation measures do not necessarily require large budget spending. For example, in many cases it is enough not to reduce green areas for the sake of new construction. According to Idrisov, in a number of European countries, fighting heat has already become part of urban policy. During periods of extremely high temperatures, cities install temporary air-conditioned pavilions where residents and tourists can take shelter from the heat.
On the other hand, Europe has stricter requirements for preserving architecture and generally different rules, so few people have air conditioners in their apartments — permits are needed to install them. As a result, most Europeans do not have them, which is why they endured this summer’s heat worse than Kazakhstanis.
But returning to effective practices: some European municipalities are implementing a so-called shadow policy. It provides for the creation of additional shaded spaces using canopies, special structures or plantings to reduce street temperatures. At the same time, cities are increasing green areas and, in some cases, even removing parts of asphalt and concrete, returning soil and plants where possible.
“Unfortunately, in our region, the opposite often happens. Despite numerous strategies and statements, many cities still make decisions that do not help them adapt to climate change, but instead worsen the problem,” the expert concludes about Central Asia’s approach.
How is heat being tackled in Kazakh cities?
To ask what is happening here, Tengrinews.kz contacted the akimats of two Kazakh cities:
Petropavlovsk, which is heating up the most according to the WB study,
and Almaty, where a temperature record was recently broken.
In response to our request, the Petropavlovsk akimat said the city regularly greens public spaces, plants trees and shrubs, improves parks, squares and courtyards, and takes into account “current construction standards and the region’s climatic features” when designing new facilities.
However, the akimat clarified that the housing and utilities department, which handles all of the above, does not conduct separate monitoring of the city’s readiness for extreme heat. These issues fall within the competence of other government agencies:
public health is monitored by health authorities,
dangerous hydrometeorological phenomena are monitored by specialized services,
and operating organizations are responsible for the stable functioning of energy and utility infrastructure facilities.
In response to our request, the Almaty administration said that during periods of abnormally high temperatures, operational measures are used: 16 convoys of special equipment are sent onto the streets every day to carry out aeration — watering the roadway and spraying water into the air.
More than 128 streets are covered.
In addition, more than 500 units of equipment are used daily to wash roads, sidewalks and bus stops, while watering of green spaces has also been intensified. According to the akimat, more than two million square meters are currently covered by an automatic irrigation system, while more than 120 units of equipment and around 200 motor pumps are used to water other areas.
Water trucks in Almaty. Photo © Tengrinews.kz / Bolat Aitmolda
The Almaty akimat also said that some of Tengrinews.kz’s questions regarding the city’s adaptation to extreme heat had been forwarded to other agencies. Their responses are expected later. After receiving additional information, the editorial team will update the article.
The Almaty Department of Ecology and Environment said that as part of the Roadmap through 2030, the area of green spaces in the city is being increased every year. Since 2025, the city has mainly been using large-sized trees and planting material with a closed root system, with mandatory irrigation and three years of guaranteed maintenance.
In 2026, more than 1.4 million plants are planned to be planted, a comprehensive inventory of the green fund will be carried out, a single digital database of trees will be created, and a long-term dendrological plan for the city for 2026–2030 will be developed.
The Department for the Development of Public Spaces, in turn, said that when designing new parks, squares and streets, the region’s climatic features are taken into account: projects provide for the preservation and additional planting of vegetation, the creation of a continuous green framework, automated irrigation systems, as well as shaded spaces with canopies, pergolas and gazebos.
How experts recommend fighting heat
Vladimir Grebnev believes that, for example, watering streets cannot be considered a full-fledged measure for adapting to heat.
“Simply spraying water may make being outside more comfortable for a short time, but water quickly evaporates from heated asphalt. Therefore, on its own, it does not solve the problem. The effect appears only when such measures are combined with sufficient greening and a competent irrigation system,” he explains.
In his opinion, greening truly remains one of the most effective ways to reduce temperatures in the urban environment. However, young trees need years to form a crown and create shade, so such measures will produce a noticeable result only in 10–15 years.
That is why, Grebnev believes, cities need to simultaneously modernize infrastructure, preserve existing green spaces and take the risks of extreme heat into account when planning development.
His recommendations echo what is stated in the World Bank study. Its authors propose treating adaptation to heat as one of the basic principles of urban planning. This means climate risks should be taken into account when designing new districts, reconstructing streets and public spaces, choosing construction materials and developing transport infrastructure.
Other experts interviewed by the editorial team also advise preserving existing green areas, modernizing utility networks and developing systems to warn the public about periods of extreme heat. It is the combination of these measures that will allow cities to remain safe and livable in a changing climate.
“Unfortunately, in Central Asia, extreme heat is not yet perceived as a problem that requires fundamental decisions. In some European cities, schools and offices are closed during heatwaves because they understand that this is a matter of people’s safety. Here, however, +40 degrees is often considered normal: ‘Well, it’s hot, yes, nothing serious.’ In my view, this approach shows that we are still simply underestimating the scale of the problem,” Timur Idrisov says.
Meanwhile, after several cool days, Kazakhstan’s largest cities are expecting a slight rise in temperatures.