Early Warning

Kazakhstan

21 May 2026

The test was carried out to check whether the system can operate in real conditions where electricity supply and mobile network coverage are limited or unavailable. Particular attention was given to the stability of data transmission via a hybrid network, the operation of the solar power supply system, and the system’s performance under conditions expected in remote mountain areas.

For the test run, the equipment was temporarily deployed in the Esik (Issyk) river basin area, where there is no mobile network coverage. The site was selected because the Talgar pilot site is currently inaccessible due to seasonal conditions, while the Esik River basin offers similar operating conditions. The Control Room at “Kazselezashchita” office (monitoring centre) in Almaty was also fully integrated into the process, where servers, data storage and the sensor service interface were successfully installed, configured, and tested for continuous data synchronization. All tests were completed successfully. Following the test run, work has now begun on the actual installation of the EWS in the Talgar River basin.

About the pilot area

The Talgar River basin, located in the Ile Alatau mountains, is one of the GLOFCA project pilot sites. It contains 22 moraine-glacial lakes, seven of which are classified as first-category mudflow hazards. Within the framework of the GLOFCA project, a modern early warning system has been designed to monitor three glacial lakes and an observation station in the middle section of the riverbed. Once installed, the system will help promptly inform SI “Kazselezashchita” in the event of a glacial lake outburst, supporting faster response and improved risk reduction for downstream areas.