Atyrau residents report pungent smell as refinery awaits inspection

“Are they poisoning us while we sleep?” one Atyrau resident wrote after waking to a caustic smell despite having her apartment windows closed. Complaints about a sharp odor emerged on September 5 and 6, then intensified across several neighborhoods overnight on September 7.

Residents in Akshagala, Zhilgorodok, Nursaya and Avangard reported foul smells and worsening air quality. AirKZ readings in Akshagala reached 24.6 micrograms of hydrogen sulfide per cubic meter around 4 a.m., against a maximum permissible concentration of 8. In Zhilgorodok, a reading at about 5 a.m. reached 96.7 micrograms, while residents in Avangard posted readings of up to 60 micrograms. Some residents said they felt unwell, reporting coughing and headaches.

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Are they poisoning us while we sleep?

Atyrau regional Governor Bolat Akchulakov ordered relevant agencies to identify the source and conduct additional inspections. Specialists examined potential emission sources, while Akchulakov visited the Tukhlaya Balka evaporation ponds and the steaming station of the Atyrau Oil Refinery. Authorities also decided to develop a regional air-quality monitoring system.

The regional Department of Ecology said specialists had analyzed 108 air samples on September 1 and 2 in four city micro-districts, without detecting pollutant levels above permitted concentrations. After residents began contacting the 109 emergency service on September 5, officials collected 126 more samples at multiple locations, including sites near and inside the refinery. Those initial measurements also showed no exceedances for hydrogen sulfide, sulfur dioxide, hydrocarbons or carbon monoxide.

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I woke up from a caustic smell, went to open the window and was simply terrified by what I saw; at first I didn't quite understand, I thought: a leak! The windows are closed, but the smell is felt inside the house; I can't imagine what it's like outside.