According to Tengrinews.kz, residents of Almaty noticed cleaner air on 11 November, after almost a day of rain that also flooded streets, bus stops and metro entrances in the city.
Residents share air quality readings
Almaty residents began posting air quality data from monitoring sensors on social media on 11 November, and some shared readings from indoor sensors. According to Tengrinews.kz, the IQAir map placed Almaty first among Kazakhstan's cities for air purity as of 16:00 that day.
What Kazhydromet recorded
According to Kazhydromet, no exceedances of pollutant limits were recorded between 00:00 and 12:00 on 11 November 2026. The situation was different from 8 to 10 November, when several monitoring stations in different districts recorded concentrations above the maximum permissible levels (MPC).
- Near Amangeldy and Satpayev streets, carbon monoxide exceeded the norm in 64 cases, with a peak of 3.8 MPC. Nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide also exceeded limits there.
- The highest nitrogen dioxide reading, up to 4.8 MPC, was recorded near the airport, where nitrogen oxide and PM10 exceedances were also logged.
- Exceedances were also found near Almaty Arena, in the Kulager microdistrict, on Raimbek Avenue and in the Aksai-3 microdistrict.
According to the agency, other monitoring posts recorded no exceedances over the same period.
Rain and metro impact
Heavy rain that began on the evening of 10 November caused flooding in several districts. Residents shared videos of flooded sidewalks and described difficulties getting to work and school. Water also flooded the entrance to Alatau metro station. According to the Almaty Metro, the cause was precipitation and an overflow of the city's stormwater drainage network.