Bishkek's Greenery Withers: Business and City Hall Blamed for Dying Trees

In Bishkek, the once-promising saplings planted on Tynystanov Street in the spring have withered and died, painting a grim picture of the city's declining vegetation. A concerned reader shared a stark observation: the "picture perfect" scene demonstrates the starkly different attitudes of private businesses and the municipal government toward environmental care.

Offices on the ground floor of a residential building show little regard for their surroundings, while opposite them, municipal plots lie barren. "All the trees have been cut down, and the saplings planted in the spring immediately dried up. They were simply pulled out and thrown away by the 'tazalykovtsy' (municipal workers)," the reader wrote, highlighting a widespread issue across the capital.

While officials often respond with bureaucratic "write-offs," a legislative effort is underway to bolster the protection of green spaces. A bill before the Jogorku Kenesh proposes to ban the reduction of park and boulevard areas during urban development and mandates that developers plant at least five large saplings, suitable for the local climate, for every tree they remove. However, for the numerous complaints like this one, the municipality itself is obligated to plant new trees, though the survival rate remains alarmingly low, failing to adequately restore the city's green zones.

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On Tynystanov Street, it's simply a picture perfect scene, demonstrating the attitude of private entrepreneurs and the mayor's office towards ecology. Look at how the offices located on the first floor of a residential building care for their territories. And opposite are municipal plots – everything has dried up, all the trees have been cut down, and the saplings planted in the spring immediately dried up. They were simply pulled out by the tazalykovtsy and thrown away.