Environmental Hazards of the Railway Infrastructure of Kazakhstan

Balgyn Ashimova, Raikhan Beisenova, Ignacio Menéndez-Pidal (), Serik Jumabayev, Aktoty Zhupysheva and Rumiya Tazitdinova
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Balgyn Ashimova: Environmental Management and Engineering Department, Faculty of Natural Sciences, L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University, Nur-Sultan 010000, Kazakhstan
Raikhan Beisenova: Environmental Management and Engineering Department, Faculty of Natural Sciences, L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University, Nur-Sultan 010000, Kazakhstan
Ignacio Menéndez-Pidal: Laboratorio de Geología, Departamento de Ingeniería y Morfología del Terreno, School of Civil Engineering, Technical University of Madrid, C/Profesor Aranguren 3, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Serik Jumabayev: Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Nur-Sultan 010000, Kazakhstan
Aktoty Zhupysheva: Department of State Audit, Faculty of Economics, L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University, Nur-Sultan 010000, Kazakhstan
Rumiya Tazitdinova: Environmental Management and Engineering Department, Faculty of Natural Sciences, L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University, Nur-Sultan 010000, Kazakhstan

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 2, 1-19

Abstract: The railway sector is the largest branch of the economy in Kazakhstan. Nevertheless, environmental safety issues and the reduction and prevention of harmful impacts are not given sufficient attention. There is very little research on the impact of the railway sector of Kazakhstan on the natural environment, which hinders the further development of the railway sector and thus necessitates the addressal of environment issues. This study aimed to show possible environmentally hazardous sections of the country’s railway infrastructure. The criteria chosen for the analysis were soil cover, water resources, rainfall, protected natural areas, and population. A map of environmentally sensitive areas was created to determine which areas require priority protection from the environmental hazards posed by the country’s railway infrastructure. The map was developed in a GIS environment using the weighted overlay, expert assessment, and snowball methods. Additionally, a model for the Kazakhstan segment of the International Northern Railway Corridor was constructed in this article to identify integral indices that assess the susceptibility of the territory to environmental hazards. The data and results presented in the article can be used to solve current and future environmental issues concerning the country’s railway communications and can be implemented in many practical applications.

Keywords: environment; railway infrastructure; ecological hazard; pollution; vulnerability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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