Black Snow Falls In Kazakh City Near ArcelorMittal Plant

This footage shows the ‘black’ snow which has fallen in a Kazakh city stunning residents who have blamed a nearby ArcelorMittal metal plant.

The strangely-coloured snow fell in the city of Temirtau in the central-eastern Karaganda Region in Kazakhstan and local residents have blamed it on a nearby metal plant.

In the video, the snow can be seen as a dark grey colour which contrasts with areas of white snow around it.

Video Credit: CEN/@temirtau.city

Local residents are reportedly convinced that the reason for the dark snow is the ecological conditions in the city of Temiratau due to its major ArcelorMittal metal plant.

Checks have reportedly shown that the plant exceeds its permission for pumping out harmful substances but management has done nothing to stop it.

Local Minister of Ecology Magzum Mirzagaliev, 41, later confirmed that the plant should expect further checks in the near future.

She said: “The Department of Ecology will check the data and implementation of industrial measures aimed at reducing the load on the environment during adverse weather conditions.”

ArcelorMittal has been the largest steel manufacturing company in the world since the 2006 merger of European firm Acrelor and Indian Mittal Steel.

It annually produces 92.5 million metric tonnes of steel and in 2017 was ranked 123rd on the Fortune Global 500 list of largest corporations.

According to local media, the same ArcelorMittal plant was fined 600 million KZT (1,208.697 GBP) in 2018.

Netizen ‘Nur362’ said: “I bet people living in this city have no lungs.”

Another one named ‘tamabaevabilkan’ added: “This is just crazy.”

While ‘ansabaeva39’ commented: “Terrifying. This is an eco collapse.”


To find out more about the author, editor or agency that supplied this story – please click below.
Story By:  Anastasia SmirnovaSub-EditorJoseph Golder, Agency: Central European News


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