ZHYLTYR, Kazakhstan -- Houses and other buildings in the village of Zhyltyr, in the Aqtobe area of western Kazakhstan, are being buried in sand. Even the electric poles are losing their battles to stay above ground. Weary residents who have been struggling with the problem for years have pleaded with authorities for help, yet their pleas have gone unanswered.
Livestock breeding is now the primary source of income for the roughly 100 families who live in Zhyltyr. With the constant sand drifts that occur in the summer months, the villagers are unable to plant crops.
To the southeast of Zhyltyr, there are several fields surrounded by barbed wire. They call one of them the Ramazan fence, and the other, the Akhmetov fence. Zhuzgun bushes -- a species of trees and bushes native to Central Asia -- are starting to grow there.
Two villagers, Ramazan and Uais Akhmetov, have become advocates for the locals. They raised money to erect fences for the fields because they were fed up with the officials' inaction. The residents also helped by planting drought-resistant zhuzgun bushes on the windward side of the village.
With cattle unable to access the fields, grass and bushes have started to grow. The villagers are hopeful that as more of these plants appear, they will slow the invading sand.
"The wind blows from the southeast in the winter and summer. We rarely get wind from the north and west. Windblown sand was already covering the houses on the outskirts of the village. We had to drive the cattle away from the barns and stables on the south side of the village. Otherwise, they would have been buried too," says Akhmetov.
Akhmetov, who lives in the village with his youngest son, does not want to leave. His home is located on the south side of the settlement, where the sand pours over the iron fence and spills into the courtyard. Looking at the rolling dunes on the other side of the fence, he jokingly calls the village "our Dubai."
Endless Summers Fighting Sand
Viewed from the south, you can just make out the upper parts of the residential buildings as you walk along the sandy street, where shoes become heavy with the golden brown grains. It would seem easier to walk barefoot, but the sand, after being heated for hours in the bright sun, would burn the skin. It is also advisable to protect your eyes and ears if the wind begins to pick up.
"Careful! There is a house underneath,"Akhmetov exclaims as we walk toward the village elder Zhenis Mamyrova whose building is below. Every day she must remove the sand that marches up to the doors of not only her home but her other buildings. She takes the sand away in buckets and, at times, in carts. Sometimes she must call upon her relatives to remove the sand that blocks her from leaving her home.
"All we do is fight sand! All summer long, removing the sand is our main job," Mamyrova says.
The sand begins to creep in at the end of April, where it accumulates until the heavy snows of November weigh down its progress. People are trying to protect their homes by erecting barriers, but this is a natural disaster that they cannot stop.
Sick And Tired Of Complaining
There is a Kazakh saying, "Aita-aita Altaydy, Zhamal apay kartaydy," that translates to, "We are sick and tired of complaining." Though they face a seemingly endless and losing battle, the residents built another fence on the outskirts of their village last year. They also dug a well, and with money they raised, they planted a total of 200 seedlings inside the fence.
"All of the villagers want only one thing: that these seedlings will take root as soon as possible," Akhmetov said.
A native of the Kyzylorda region, Akhmetov has been living in the village for more than 20 years. The pensioner raised his children and livestock here. He considers the village a "blessed place" and refuses to leave, even if the sand buries him.
Akhmetov spends his time caring for the young seedlings and checking on the well that he dug 3 meters down. To save the precious water, the villagers devised a system of irrigation using plastic bottles.
"We bring our children and grandchildren here in the morning and in the evening. Some carry water from the well; others bottle it. Both children and old people try to be useful. We also must protect the seedlings from cattle who at times will knock down our fence," Akhmetov said.
Authorities Who 'Only Nod' And Do Nothing
The villagers have repeatedly applied to the regional authorities for help, but their pleas have been in vain.
“Officers only know how to nod at each other,” complained pensioner Lena Bekzhan, a villager who previously worked as a teacher.
"This problem did not appear yesterday or today. In previous years, the village was already covered with sand. This year the situation is very difficult. The sand comes up to our windows. Sometimes we can't leave the house as the door is blocked by the sand," Bekzhan said.
The village mayor, Qalzhan Qarzhaubai, said that, if at least 20 hectares of land are not fenced off in the future, there is a risk that all of the houses will be buried.
"Planting greenery in a village surrounded by sand is not an easy task. This should be done by a specialized company. The budget of the village, even the budget of the district, will not be enough to fight it," Qarzhaubai said.
"We want Astana to include us in their plans and develop a special project to help. Otherwise, we will not be able to cope with this ourselves,” he added.
Other Villages Also Under Threat
Zhyltyr is not the only village battling against desertification in Aqtobe, several other settlements also facing the same plight.
Altogether there are 19 villages in Aqtobe battling the encroaching sand and authorities estimate that 165 million tenge ($370,000) will be needed to build fences and implement remedial programs, such as planting bushes and trees, to alleviate the situation in the region.
Aktolkyn Khabiboldina, head of the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management for the Aqtobe region, says that the government has spent money on devising plans to address the problem in 11 of the villages this year. For the remaining eight villages, a new plan will be developed in 2024.
Yet, the department admits that, during the previous 30 years of Kazakhstan's independence, no funds have ever been allocated from the state budget for sand retention, and no special projects have been developed.
