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ASSESSMENT OF MUNICIPAL SERVICESDELIVERY

ByJohn Lisenko

Research Triangle Institute1615 M Street, NW, Suite 740Washington, DC 20036

Municipal Finance and ManagementProject No. 5656Contract No. CCN-0007-C-00-311 0-0

May 1995

~ p.o. Box 12194, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709-2194

HFH PROJECT

CITY OF ATYRAU

KAZAKHSTAN

ASSESSMENT OF HUNIOIPAL SERVICES DELIVERY

Table of Contents

Page No.Executive Summary

Background and Introduction 1Methodology and References 2General Information Regarding Services 4Description of Services

Transportation 6utilities 8Community facilities 14Summp.ry 16Observations and Conclusions 17

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May '.995

Report Prepared By: John E. Lisenko116 Zandra ctSan Pablo CA 94806

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Information regarding municipal service delivery was obtainedthrough personal interviews, review of existing reports plansand other records during the period between April 24 and May10, 1995. An assessment of service deficiencies and needsprepared by city and Oblast officials earlier in the year wastranslated and made part of the Assessment. Existing reportsand studies were reviewed, prepared mostly in the period from1987-1992 and covering a wide range of city planning andinfrastructure development issues, including a 1992 GeneralPlan projecting growth to the· year 201.0, supported bytechnical appendices that contained estimates forinfrastructure upgrades. The As~essment concludes that itwould be feasible to use existing data with some fine tuningas a base for developing a financing plan for infrastructureimprovement. A rough preliminary estimate of localinfrastructure improvements needed (drainage, streets, water,sewer, etc.) is $900 million. Some high priority low costprojects that could be implemented in the short run includefurnishing handicap buses; development of city mapping system;completion of primary loop water distribution system; andassistance and training in the area of service management. Itis recommended that future Gtudies consider alternativeproposals for City growth and development, emphasizing sitingof future residential growth away from existing problem areas,preferably north/northeast of the existing area.

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Atyrau Project - MFMAssessment of Municipal Service Delivery in the City of AtyrauPrepared May 10 J995

BACKGROUND AND INTRODUCTION

The MFM project team determined that there was a need to assess the existingconditions and future planning with respect to municipal service delivery in the City ofAtyrau. The purpose of the assessment would be to evaluate the level of effort neededto develop a comprehensive capital improvement program, together with a financingpackage that includes investment strategies for future funding of needed improvements.The scope of work for this effort was defined by establishing a list of questions to beasked ofservice providers about each aspect of municipal service delivery in Atyrau.

During the first few days of the assessment, it became clear that the City ofAtyrau is farfrom a full service City, and, like many US cities, has limited, if any, control over anumber of services provided to its residents and to commercial and industrialestablishments in the community. Services, such as gas and electric power, watertransportation and port facilities, rail transportation, water treatment. airportoperations, and flood control, are either administered at the Oblast level, or by variousMinistries of the central government. It also became evident that the City is in chargeof a number of functions that were not initially identified for analysis in the scope ofwork, including schools, police and fire protection, medical facilities, hotels. publicbaths, etc. Many of these services do not fall in the traditional category of"infrastructurell

, which was the intended focus of the study.

Information found to be available relative to existing conditions and Cuture plalmingwas extensive, and it was also discovered that the local administrators, experts andtechnicians (with technical assistance from Soviet planners and engineers) hadconducted detailed studies that included needs assessments and plans Cor future growth.It was also determined that presentation of this information in a fashion suitable forapplication Cor Cunding to the international banking community would require, tovarying degrees, depending on the service, validation, addition ofsupplementalinCormation, and reCormatting.

In order to provide as broad an overview as possible. it was determined that theinformation in this report will be presented in the following fashion:

I. A general overview will be given of the City administrative structure and theinterrelationship ofservice providers.

2. Segments of the infrastructure identified for analysis in the original scope of workand administered by the City will be described according to a format that essentiallyanswers the original questions proposed to be asked, and includes the following subheadings:

- A general overview of the service or function- What is the fiscal structure supporting service delivery- What is,the existing level of information available regarding thecondition of the system as well as future plans and studies

- What are the applicable local standards and policies- How is the service viewed by recepients

This category includes water distribution, central heating distribution system. drainage.sanitary sewer collection and disposal, refuse collection and disposal and streets androads.

3. Services and facilities either not identified in the original workscope, or notadministered by the City. will be analyzed in a slightly more abbreviated format,according to the following outline:

- Brief description ofservice or facility and how it is administered- Present condition and future needs- ComlY. ~nts and recommendations for future study and analysis

In effect. the scope of work of the assessment has been tailored to conform to the levelof detail and the quantity and quality of readily available information. As a result,more ground can be covered in the same limited amount of time.

METHODOLOGY AND REFERENCES

The primary method used to obtain information was to interview appropriate officialsat the City. Oblast or other applicable administrative level. and to inspect availablematerial. such as plans, project reports, and other records. Access to officials andsubstantiating material was good, the only limitation being that the project work periodoverlapped two significant events. the April 29 referendum and the May 9 celebration,whi~h made scheduling appointments somewhat more difficult than would normally bethe case (the weekend of the 29th was a three day weekend, and the weekend ofthe 6th:was celebrated as a four day weekend).

The starting point for the assessment was a summary document generated by AtyrauOblast and City staff in preparation for the USAID sponsored tour of the USA byAtYrllu City and Oblast officials. conducted in February of 1995. This document,entitled "An Overview of Existing Conditions and a Plan for Development of the Cityof Atyrau". dated 1995 (henceforth called the AlP for "Atyrau Improvement Program").covers virtually all areas of City provided services. as well as services under the controlof the Oblast and others. such as the Ministry of Oil. Ministry ofTransportation. etc.ft also includes a section on economic development. The portion of the AlP thatrelates strictly to Municipal services (water distribution, heating. sanitary sewercollection and disposal. refuse collection and miscellaneous other City services) wasderived in part from a more detailed document entitled "Administration of Housing Municipal Services in the Atyrau Oblast" also dated 1995. Both documents.translated, are appended to this report for.reference. AU figures quoted herein canle fromeither the AlP or from interviews and inspections of local reports and project studies, Iunless otherwise noted. No independent estimates were performed.

Through interviews with the staff involved in assembling the information in the AlP. itwas made clear that this document was prepared in approximately a months time.while the Atyrau group was making preparations for its visit to the states•.. It wasintended to heusen (but Was ndfpreSelited) during the visit. for discussion purposes.The information was compiled from existing sources within the City and Oblastadministration~. as well as from information furnished by the other service providers.The following general description can be given of the available documentation tosupport these assessments and figures as they appear in this document:

The Atyrau Improvement Program (AlP) Document

Most of the project reports, preliminary designs. estimates, etc. from which theinformation in the AlP appears to have been compiled were prepared between roughly1986-1991. At that time, the Soviet government, foreseeing the possibility offuturedevelopment and economic growth stimulated by the oil industry in the Atyrau area.allocated resources for advance planning and project development. These documentswere developed using Soviet standards as the basic criteria for preliminary designs.Since 1991, some standards, such as the amount of living space alloted per capita, or theminimum size of a residential parcel, have been adjusted by Kazakhstl'n authorities.Technical standards, on the other land, remain what they were under the Soviets.

While local engineers and administrators are familiar with the documents, they werenot, for the most part, involved in their preparati011. The preparation oCCeasibilitystudies, master plans, project development reports and other project documents, up tonnd including final plans, was generally contracted to Institutes oCthe appropriateMinistry from the national government in AJmaty.

It would appear, on the basis of this assessment, that there was some liberty taken withquantities (e.g. length of roads needing improvement, length ofwater main to bereconstructed, etc.) in the process of transposing the infonnation from the moredetailed backup generally found to be available at the various departmental offices. tothe AlP. It also appears that not all ofthe infonnation that is available ended up inthe AlP. Given the above described circumstances under which the AlP was assembled.this is understandable.

With respect to pricing, it is uncertain which method was used to establish costs. Insome cases, older estimates, have been indexed to arrive at current costs. In other cases.the methodology used is uncertain. There is a locally accepted methodo:ogy that isused to update estimates made prior 1991. This methodology involves using onefactor to get from the estimate year to acost in 1991 rubles. then conversion of 1991rubles to 1991 tenge, and finally a factor to account for inflation since 1991. Use of thismethod is predicated on the assumption that the original ruble estimate was valid as anapproximation of the true cost of.the work.

In conclusion, any information derived from the AlP needs to be used with theunderstanding that it is subject to varying degrees of +1- variance, and that both 'hequantities and costs should be treated as first cut approximations used to obtain anorder of magnitude picture of the overall need, nothing more.

During the course of the assessment, a second document was reviewed at the OblastArchitect's office. This document, and the backup material that goes with it. would bea good starting point for a more detailed and thorough overview ofAtyrau'sinfrastructure needs and future planned development.

1992 Gtlaeral Plaii lJpdaie (to the year 2(10)

The General Plan(GP) was updated with economic development input primarily basedon central planning done by the Soviets prior to the breakup of the Soviet Union. TheGP update took a different approach from the direction previously taken by Sovietplanners, who assumed that the Tengiz oil development area would be served by a newcity constructed some 300km east. The update assumed that the neighboring oil fielddevelopment would be served by expansion of the Atyrau municipal service area. It

also looked at six different scenarios of City growth and development. The preferredalternative was one in which residential development progressed northeasterly upstreamalong the Ural. Selection of this alternative was driven primarily by the anticipated riseof the surface water level of the Caspian Sea, and the ensuing flooding that this wouldcause in the southern part of the municipality near the river. The AlP is not directlycoordinated with the latest version of the GP, except in the sense that both rely, to alarge degree, on the same studies and technical data.

The GP supporting documentation consists of a number ofvolumes of referencematerial that is kept in the office ofthe Chief Architect of the Oblast. These referencevolumes contain both a narrative description, as well as quantitative tables and otherexhibits, covering virtually every aspect ofcity service needs, demographic informationand information on economic development. Quantity takeoffs, as well as cost estimatesin 1991 rubles, for service upgrades and system expansion are provided for differentscenarios of development. Where appropriate, reference is made to more detailed.tudies conducted by various technological institutes.

GENERAL INFORMATION REGARDING MUNICIPAL SERVICES DELlV~RY

To understand the manner in which service is delivered, and the organizationalstructure that oversees delivery, as well as why the City has control over some aspects ofservice delivery and not others, requires a brief explanation of how the City evoivedand how the services were provided under the Soviet system.

The older part of the City, situated on tlte northwest bank, consists primarily ofsinglefamily dwellings dating back, iJ~ some instances, to pre-revolutionary days. Watersupply to this area of town is, in some instances, limited to p!ck up points on streetcorners, where residents get their cold domestic water from a dispensing faucet andcarry it home. Roads are mostly dirt and in poor condition. Electricity is available toeach home, but there is limited central heating, and there is no gas service. Homes areindividually heated by stoves and heaters, and in lieu ofnatural gas, propane isdelivered. The number ofresidents living in this area, as well as other smaller groupingsofsingle family homes throughout the City, is approximateley 45,000, out of the totalCity population of 150,000.

In the rest of the City, most of the infrastructure. and a majority of tlte housing. wasdeveloped in clusters of multi-story apartment buildings which organized 8S individualadministrative subdivisions of city govenlment called Repair Exploitation Units(REU's). There are five city administered REV's, providing housing for 65,000residents. In addition, various local enterprises, such as the oil refinery, the fishery,etc. built similar apartment clusters to provide housing for their workers. Theseclusters house the remaining 50,000 City residents, and the administrative unit is calleda ZKO, or communal housing unit. They are still under the management of tileenterprises that built them, and are financially independent of the City. Periodically,there is a push for the City to take over these enterprise maintained enclaves. However,due to the City's perception that taking over all the complexes would constitute afinancial hardship, the City has refused. in most respects, the REUrs and ZKO'soperate the same and have the same responsibilities. Residents perception is that in thepast, enterprises did a better job than the city did - however, lately, the level ofservice isabout the same.

Other activities, such as the water supply and treatment works, the local power plantand power distribution system, the airport, public transportation systems andtelecommunications, etc. always were, and still are, outside the control of the City.

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These activities are either under the general direction ofspecific National Ministries. orunder the Oblast, or both. In some cases, such as with telecommunfcations.partnerships with private firms (in this case ITI) are taking place, with thegovernmental entity retaining 51% ownership.

The Structure of City Government

The City has a 23 member elected City Council with a presiding head. The Mayor isappointed by the Governor, and serves as the chief administrative officer. Citydepartments are under the direction of Deputy Mayors. The latest organizationalstructure is attached. This structure is in a constant state offlux, due to staffingcutbacks and other reasons. The Council advises on budgetary matters. but does nothave the final say. Other issues can be brought before the Council for input, but ingeneral, decision making power over city matters resides with the Mayor.

City Finances

On the revenue side, the City relies on an allocation of taxes that are collected througha complex set of levies, inr.luding a number of City taxes (which the city keeps) andthree types of tax that is collected and passed on to the National govemment. TheNational tax is roughly 213 of the total, and the City gets a portion back. but it does notcontrol either the gross amount or the percentage of tax that comes back from theNational government. This control is at the Oblast and National govenunent level. Asa.result, the City lacks the a.bility to control its own financial destiny. Budgets that areinitially prepared based on one assumption regarding revenues to be shared, have to beroutinely readjusted based on the final central government decision regarding revenuesharing. Overall, the City keeps roughly 30% of all general taxes collected to fund itsadministration oCthe school system, the police and fire service, etc., and to fund thedifTernce between actual costs oC other services (water, sewer, garbage etc.) and usercharge and rent collections.

Specific user charges support the operation ofcommon area services to multi-storyapartment complexes. The services thus supported include water, heat. electricity, gasand miscellaneous common area upkeep. Electricity is the only service that is meteredat the individual user level. These user charges, which include rent payments that coverrefuse collection and general building maintenance services, are not sufficient to coverthe cost of the service provided, and the city General Fund bas to make up thedifference. User charges and rent payments, in general, cover only 30% of the cost ofcommunity service delivery, with the rest coming Crom the General Fund. While usercharges paying for the service in total may be a desirable goal from the standpoint ofbudgetary and operational accountability,'the fact is, that with the current economicsituation, some form ofSUbsidy is needed to compensate for the citizens inability to paythe true cost of the service. The National Government policy seems to be in thedirection ofdirect user payments and local fiscal autonomy, but how long this will takeis another matter. The government also has a policy that promotes special ratereductions for various needy groups. including -;·eterans, retirees, etc.

Cfty .Planning

The City planning function is under the office of the City Architect, whose stafTcutbacks have been such that he ends up doing advance planning as a hobby at home.since there is no time during the day for more than plan checking. Advance planning isdone mostly at the Oblast level.

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DESCRIPTION OF MUNICIPAL (AND OTHER) SERVICES

TRANSPORTATIONStreets and Sidewalks

The streets and sidewalks within City limits present a marked contrast, when comparingthe main arterial and collector system. to the residential streets and the streets andwalkways within the perimeter of the highrise apartment building complexes. The mainstreets are paved and maintained to the point where the quality of the riding experienceis comparable to or better than on streets in some of the urban areas in the older UScities (NY, for example), with fewer potholes and in generally cleaner condition. Theresidential streets, on the other hand, are for the most part din drives. with unevensurfaceS, and numerous trecharous dips. They are difficult to navigate at speeds ofmore more than 5-1 Omph. Lack ofdrainage has a greater impact on these residentialstreets than on the arterials, rendering them virtually impassable during the rainyperiods or after the Spring thaw. Arterials are full of puddles, but drivable.

The City and Oblast road maintenance and construction departments have been"privatized"since 1991, and compete for road maintenance contracts. They perfonllwork not just in the City. but within enterprise districts. REU's and other areas,depending on who has the budgetary resources to pay for the work that they do.

Existing Conditions, Capital Needs and Future Plans and Studies

The AlP estimates that out of the total I43km of paved road, 62km is in need ofreconstruction. In addition, there is a need for 32km ofnew roadway and 28km ofsidewalk. The reconstruction estimate does not include unpaved streets or interiorcirculation streets and walkways in apartment building complexes. The total length ofthe street system (paved as well as unpaved) is closer to 300km. There is supposed tobe a city wide condition survey available in map form, that can be used to computelengths and quantities. This map did not surface. during the assessment.

Local Standards and Policies

Maintenance of major arterials and collectors in the heart of town receives first priority.Street overlays are the general rehabilation technique used, and the overlay thickness isusualy Scm. Street widths and right-or-ways are more than adequate for the current aswell as future tramc volumes, provided the street is made useable for its full width.Lack of drainage and full width paving (or no paving) constricts the useable portion ofthe street in many areas.

How is the service viewed by recepients

Driving in Atyrau is a challenge under dry conditions, and real adventure when it rainsor snows. Without a drainage system, pedestrians and motorists are confronted with·)bstacles that range from large puddles in the main thouroughfares to deep, muddybogs in the areas between th~ road and the entrance to-many building complexes.

Airport

The airport is owned by the Oblast and is operated by a Turkish concessionaire with anopen ended lease agreement. Net revenue from airport operations is split SO/50 withthe Oblast.

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Present Condition and Needs

In addition to flood protection to assure that the runways stay open. the airport is inneed of a facelift and runway improvements to accomodate the needs of contemporaryaircraft. A future new airport is being planned some 30-35km east of the present site. atan approximate cost of$600 million. Meanwhile, temporary runway and floodprotection improvements are funded and underway.

Water Transportation

The port facility, limited to serving the fishing fleet, is run by the Oblast.


Docking facilities and the fishing fleet, while functional, are outdated. To accomodatemore thanjust fishing vessels, the river would need to be dredged out to sea for anadditional depth of 2.501. Costs ofchannel dredging from Atyrau to the Caspian(some 3Skm) are variously estimated at between $2.5 million (Caspishelfrepresentative's estimate) and $40 million (AlP figure).

Comments

A navigable channel, leading to an updated port facility, is a high priority for the oilindustry, and at least one oil consortium representative indicated that this may well be amake or break proposition when it came to a decision where the logistic headquarters ofthe industry would be, in Atyrau or in the city of Aktau some 300km to the south.Aktau already has a year round port facility on the Caspian Sea. Channel dredging isalso a sensitive environmental issue, with implications for Atyrau's fishing industry.which could be significantly impacted both by the dredging operation and by potentialpollution of the area from subsequent activities.

It should be noted that even with dredging, the port in Atyrau would be inaccessiblefive months out of the year, due to the freezing over of the Ural River and the northerlysection of the Caspian Sea. '

Public Translt

Under the direction orthe Oblast. There'are also private bus operators. A special taxwas instituted in 1991 to pay for transit system upgrades, and as a result, this singlepurpose money is currently being used in Atyrau to construct a new electric trolley line.


Service has been reduced from 42 routes to l4. T'-..e transportation administrationcurrently has little control over routing. There are govertment owned buses, enterpriseowned buses (serving their workers only) and private buses.

The AlP recommends the purchase of three buses for the handicapped. These buseswould be leased to the transit agency by the City with the stipulation that the Citywould have input intc' the service routing and scheduling.

Comments

Buses seem to be always full, and private operators have no problem realizing a returnon their investment when they purchase buses. The AlP assessment that 70% of thepublic transit fleet has oudived its useful life appears to be fairly accurate.

Rail Service

Rail is the primary means of transportation for industrial goods in and out oCtheregion. Tank trucks are used to transport oil industry products.


There is a need for track reconstruction, locomotive and car rehabilitation and forconstruction of additional railroad bridge crossings (the need for which was identifiedby a representative of the Caspishelf consortium). The A~P estimates these needs(exclusive of the bridge crossings) to be in the range ofS'j iuillion. The railroad depotcould also use a facelin.

UTILITIES

Domestic Water Supply Distribution System

The City has control of water distribution from the point ofwhere treated water fromthe Ural river leaves the treatment facility to the user. The main line distribution systemis administered by the Water and Sewer (Gorvodokanal) department of the City. Asecondary distribution system exists within the multi-family housing districts, and ismaintained by the REU's, which are under the administrative oversight of the Citydepartment of Community ~ervices (Gorkomboz) and by the enterprise ZKO's. Thissecondary system heats a portion of the> water delivered by the main line and pumpsboth cold and hot water (and heat) to users in multi-story buildings (operation of tilesecondary distribution system is discussed in more detail under the section on CentralHeating below) •

ZKO's perform essentially the same function as the REU's, except that financially theyare independent ofthe City. Roughly 213 of the City has cold water service as well ashot water service. The rest of the City has only cold water, and in the older, singlefamily section oCthe City, 30% oCthe residents have no direct service to their homes,but only at central pick up points located at street intersections, from which water mustbe carried home in buckets.

Fiscal Structure

The Water Department (Gorvodokanal) buys treated water at a set negotiated priceCram the water purveyor. The Water Department sells the water to REU's andenterp~se 4istricts, and to businesses and <'the: users. Major industric$ in the ami,.suchas tlie oil refinery, obtain their water from a seperate source. Not all ofthe waterservice points are individually metered. Where there is a common meter, as in the caseofsome of the apartment building clusters, the charge is pro-rated among all users.Where there is not even a common meter, the charge is based on the capacity of theconnecting pipe. In residential districts administered by the city, water service revenuecollections from users cover only 25% of the expenditures, with the balance subsidizedby the City's General Fund. The deficit is made up at the expense of the city budget,not at the expense of the operating budget of the water department.

Existing Condition, Capital Needs and Future Plans and Studies.

The system is in an advanced state of deterioration due pipe cO~Tosion caused by theeffect of corrossive soils working in combination with the high water table in the area.The AlP concludes that out of the total 348.7 km in the distribution network, 150.4 kmis in need ofreplacement at a cost of$41 million, and 37.2 km ofnew line costing $10million is r~uired. Material contemplated to be used is polyethylene piping, whichshould withstMd corrossion. Secondary distribution system needs exclusive ofbuilding plumh~ng (which is, according to local officials, in good shape), are 011 anorder of magnitude scale equal to $8 - 12 million for the REU's alone. Currently. theuseful life of the secondary pipes installed underground is 5-10 years, and therecommended replacement strategy is to place them above ground, or to add cathodicprotection to new lines.

Tenghiz Chevron oil (I'CO) representatives have performed a fairly thoroughconceptual analysis of the water system which is attached hereto as an appendix. Theirrecommendation is that initially a new main line loop be installed circiling the City,with cross connections, at a cost of$17 million. Sub-areas of the City would then beconnected to this loop as soon as the secondary and building feeder system is upgraded.The main line would be sufficiently pressurized to provide domestic service withoutauxilliary pumping.

Local Standards and Policies. .

The main line distribution system delivers water with no residual pressure. This is Janedeliberetly, to prevent bursting the deteriorated pipes. The water system has beenoversized to accomodate future growth. Pipe diameters range in size between 250700cm. Water quality monitoring is conducted at several levels, including by theOblast and by the national government.. Water standards are the uniform standardsapplied throughout the former Soviet Union. Water system losses are variouslyestimated at between 20% up to as high as 40 or 50%. It is difficult to get an exactpicture due to the lack of metering in much of the system.


Complaints about water quality are low. On the other hand,complaints about waterdelivery are high, since it is not uncommon for upper floors of multi-story buildings tobe witbout either cold or hot water (or both) for long period:.. oftime. They then haveto -:arry water home from service points in the building basement or elswhere in thesystem, or look for friends who have water service to supply them. Interuptions inwater service are the result ofsystem failure involving equipment (either pumps or heatexchangers), pipeline failures due to age and corrossion, or failures within the buildingplumbing.

SaaitarySewer Collectinn am! D1spGsaISystem

The system is a composite of City owned lines and pump stations operated side by sidewith collection lines and pump stations owned by enterprise districts. The City portionof the system is administered by the same department that administers the waterdistribution system (Gorvodokanal). All sewage is transported out through disposallines to evaporation ponds (which seem to be sustaining abundant wildlife) some 5~6

KM outside of town. The only treatment involve') mechanical seperation of solids priort" discharge to the ponds. I

Fiscal Structure

The cost of sewer collection and disposal is factored into the cost of frtSh water (seeabove), and charged back to water users. H'.Jwever, problems with user based charges(as with water) include lack ofmetering at the individual user level and the inability tomatch revenue with expenditures, leading to subsidy by the General Fund.

Ex.isitng Conditions. Capital Improvement Needs and Future Plans and Studies

The AlP does not include an assessment ofneeds for the Sanitary Sewer System. Sincethere are no drainage facilities to speak of (see below), it is not uncommon for the Cityroad cleanup crews to relieve surface flooding by using the sanitary sewer system fordisposal ofponded rain water picked up by vacuum trocks. This practice leads toclogging of the lines with mud and silt. Sewage pump Cailures and blockage oCcollection lines are a Crequent occurence, requiring constant maintenance andemergency pumping into vacuum trucks. Existing plans and studies consist ofconceptual estimates Cor construction ofsewer treatment facilities ($65 million). Whiledisposal in evaporation ponds is a suitable treatment method as long as there is room,further treatment of the emuent would allow it to be used Cor irrigation.


There is a department of the Natbnal govemment that enforces ecological standards,and a City department ofel1vironr.llental health (Sanepidimstanzia). both ofwhom areinvolved in monitoring and enforcement. Local authorities recognize the need to treatand reuse waste water for irrigation purposes.


Out ofsight out ofmind would be one way to charectarize the general perception.However. people are aware of the ~ystem problems, including backups and overflowsthat create a pervasive odor that is evident in many parts of the City.

Central Heating and Secondary Water Distribution System

Central heating is provided by a system of closed circuit hot water pipes to most multistory building complexes and buildings within the central business district. There islimited central heating supplied to the single family district. Hot water is supplied byfeed and return pipes coming from a steam turbine electrical generation plant locatedat the southeast end of town (called the TEe, or Thennal Energy Center). The plantuses fuel 'oil for the initial heating source.

The hot water distribution lines from the TEe enter small maintenance buildings calledThennal Points (fP), of which there are 27~readthrou&hout thaCity~These buildingscontain pumps to boost fhepressure ofdomestic water from the Iatm at which it isdelivered by the main line system to the 4-Satm needed to get it to the fifth Ooor.andheat exchangers to heat a portion of the cold water supply. thereby providing both hotand cold water as well as radiator heating to each apartment unit and most commercialand civic buildings. As a result, each apartment unit is supplied with five lines: onecold water supply and two each (feed and return) for hot water and heat. A secondarycentr9! wllter heating unU, located on the west side of town, was recently c("'jstructedwith Chevron bonus funds at a cost ofSIO million. In addition to the cential plants

that supply hot water, there are R'uxilliary water heating tanks spread throughout thetown. .

Fiscal Structure

The City buys heated water from the TEC, which is a seperate enterprise. Costs ofmaintaining the TP's and the hot water pipe distribution system are partially recover~d

from users, and partially subsidized by the City General Fund.

Existing Condition, Capital Needs and Available Plans and Studies

The system is in poor condition. The AlP indicates that 92km of the total 137kmsystem ofheating distribution lines is in need of replacement. Additionally, 12 out of27 TP's require new equipment (pumps and heat exchangers) and 3 new TFs need to beadded. This does not include service lines going from the TP to individual buildingunits, or the heating lines within those buildings. The initial water temperature at theTEC is 110 C and on return is 40C. Hot water line losses are measured at meteringpoints within the TP's and information is radio telemetered back to a central dispatchstation. Monitoring of the central heating system for major failures is systematic, sincea large break in the system, particularly in the winter months, could have catostraphicresuJts, with above ground pipes bursting if water is &IIQwed to freeze in them. Smallleaks, however, do go undetected and unrepaired for extended periods of time. Due tocorrossion, a majority of the system is now above ground, creating a veritable gridaround town comprised ofdual pipelines with insulation around them that is iii fair topoor condition, with many visible damaged sections.


Ther:; 3i.·e no individual thermostat controls, so the heating system and hot waterdelivery depend entirely on the operational parameters of the central heating plant andthe secondary distribution points (TP's). The standard for replacement piping is steelwith corrossion protective wrapping.


The heating and secondary water distribution system is only intermittently effective.Residents complaints range from insufficient pressure and heat. to no servicewh".tsoever above a certain level in many'buildings, to intermittent service (no hotwater) depending on the time ofday. When the system delivers too much heat,residents open the windows.

Drainage System

The~ity is ~QmpletelyOat .. This makes collection.~Ulddisposa~ofsurfaee runoff it

major challenge. Compounding the problem, is thl:' fact that the water table atdistances greater than 200-300 meters east and w,est of the Ural is within 0.5m of thesurface, thereby preventing surface water from percolating into the ground. Portions ofa drainage system appear in parts of town but are incomplete. For example. there is asystem of subdrains around most newer apartment buildings, but the system isincomplete. since there are no main line collectors or storm drain pumps for it todischarge to.

As a result of this, and the clayey nature of the soil, unpaved areas of the City tum intoa muddy quagmire when it rains, and building basements are perpetualy flooded. Thishampers building maintenenace, and in the summer, leads to mosquito infestation.

Fiscal Structure

Existing drainage lUtes are not maintained. Costs associated with removal of surfacewaters by pump trucks and the cost of maintenance of temporary ditches and drainagechannels dug to divert water from major thoroughfares is absorbed in the budget of thecity road department.

Existing Condition, Capital Needs and Available Plans and Studies

The condition ofexisting lines, consisting of I83km ofsub-drains and drains, isunknown, but it can be assumed that the majority of them would at least need athorough cleaning due to fact that they arc probably clogged due to non-use. The AlPestimates that 141 drainage pump stations and I83km ofnew drainage line wil! need tobe built to complete the system. Available plans and studies include a comprehensivereport dated 1986 which concluded that the central portion of the city, consisting ofsome 9, I00 hectares, should be divided into drainage sub areas, and that the collectedsurface and subsurface water should be pumped to evaporation ponds.


Dis'charge of any contaminants into the Ural is strictly prohibited. This would includeany surface or subsurface drainage water, unless it could be proven that the water meetsminimum standards. At this time, due to the high concentration ofsalts in the ground.it is highly doubtful that it would. Consequ~ntly.evaporation ponds are the onlychoice for surface and subsurface water disposal.

The current policy is to remove surface waters where they unduly impeded eitherautomotive or foot traffic by pumping. and then to discharge the collected water eitherinto the sewer system or other.areas away from town. .

How is the service viewed by recipients

The fact that there is no drainage system contributes to a significant deterioration in thequality of liCe Cor the residents. Where there is no hard (paved) surface to walk or driveon, access during rainy periods becomes difficult due to the muddy conditions. Evenpaved roads have pro~lems,with large puddles forcing motorists to abandon their cars.Another citizen complaint, the lack ofplanting and other improvements in variousopen space areas, is indirectly a complaint about the lack ofdrainage. Since the watertable is high, surface water evaporates istead ofpercolating into the ground.Percolation occurs only within a narrow band, 300 meters either side of the Urlll River,where there isa drawdown ef(ect. Everywhere e!se water. sits. tilt it evaporates, leavingsalt deposits that accumulate in the soil and make planting difficult. A systenl ofsurface and subsurface drains, by re~ovingsurface waters, would permit the upper soilstrata to sustain plant growth.

Refuse Collection and Disposal

The City collects refuse from residential and commercial sources. The refuse is thentrucked to an open landfill located 4 km northwest of the City limits. There is 110

seperation of recyclables. Residential waste is collected by a small garbage truck at

central pickup points around town (at each building complex). Residents deliver refuseto the truck during a 15 minute pickup period each day. There are few storageconlainers, and efficiency of the operation is low. However, the trade off is that thereare no garbage storage areas that could potentially become a nuisance.

Existing Conditions, Capital Needs and Available Plans and Studies

The City estimates that to maintain the existing level ofservice it needs to refurbishmore than half of its fleet ofgarbnge trucks and vacuum trucks and to add 15 trucksand 14 vacuums. This does not include any system improvements that would lead togreater efficiency of collection, source seperation or landfill improvements.

Fiscal Structure

Cost of refuse collection is partially covered by rent charges, with the balance comingfrom the General Fund (City budget).


The level of service provided includes residential pickups on a daily basis. The currentlandfill does not meet local standards. A plan to bring the operation up to :,tandard bytrencing and covering the refuse with layers ofdirt, is available but has not beenimplemented.


The service is generally viewed positively. Daily pickup service is viewed as a sanitarymethod of dealing with waste, provided everyone stays with the program and shows upat the pickup point at the right time. Unfortunately, when the garbage pickup is late,some residents will just dump their household waste anywhere, rather than take it backhome.

FJectrical Service

Electrical power is provided by the TEC, which generates electricity with steamturbines, and also supplies the hot water for the central heating system. The fuel usedat the TEC is "mazutll or the lowest grade offuel oil. The primary transmissionnetwork is tied to a grid system that allows the City to draw supplemental power fromsources as distant as the Balakov atomic re~ctor in Russia. The department in charge ofthe City network is under the Ministry of Electrical Power.


The TEC supplies roughly 70% of the overalneed of the city and neighboring regicns.From time to time., the local needs require supplemental power from the network thatcomes from Russia. Expansion of the TEC is in progress, and upon completion, itshould be able to totally satisfy local needs.

Comments

The condition of the City power distribution network is fair to poor, with a need forrehabilitation and construction ofadditional substations. The system needs to be ~bove

ground due to the groundwater and corrosive soil problem. Whether the expansion ofthe TEe is fully funded or not is a question. (

"

",~,~,

Telecommunications

Administered at the Oblast level with oversight by the Ministry of Communications.


The City network for telephone and radio communications is old (1964 installationdate) and in need of upgrading. Loc!!1 tr.lephone connections are in some instancesmore difficult to make than connections outside of Kazakhstan.

Comments

The indication from the head of the local administration in charge oftelecommunications, was that there is in existnce an agreement with ITT for systmimprovements, modernization (including cellular service, fiber optics, e-mail, etc.) andfuture operation. The agreement could be in the fonn of a partnership.

Gas Service

There are no gas m~ins in the city. Gas service is provided to multi-family units fromcentral storage containers within each building complex. These containers areperiodically refi.lled with liquid gas delivered by truck. Gas ii' used for cooking.

Comments

There are no plans or estimates for gas service improvements. However. since this is anabundant natural resource, it would seem logical that its use should be optimized. Forexample, construction ofgas mains to provide direct feed to building complexes couldbe considered, in lieu of delivery ofgas by truck and storage at each complex.

COMMUNITY FACILITIES

Flood Control

Aood protection is administered by the Ministery of Emergency Matters at ~heNationallevel.Flood contml facilities consist of levees running along either bank of theUral. The level ofwater between the levees is dependent on the level oCthe Caspian Seaand the amount of runoff from the Ural mountains. which to a degree. is controlled byflood protection facilities (hydroelectric dams and reservoirs) on the Russian side of theborder.

Present conditions and needs assessment

The City is situated at an ~Ievationof roughly -22.Sm to -25.Sm below sea level. Thesurface of the Caspian Sea is currentiy approxlmSl!tey1.Smefers lower. On shorewinds can raise the water level of the Ural within city limits to near flood stage,particularly when combined with peak runoff from the Ural mountains.

For a number of years now, the level of the Caspian Sea has been rising. Althoughhistorically there were times when the Sea rose. and other times when it fell in elevation(the sea is a closed system - water flows in from a number of rivers. and water exits onlythrough evaporation), the recent trend has raised some local concern. After reviewingseveral alternatives, including relocation of the City northward. Oblast and Ministry of

I•

Emergency Matters officials have concluded that a system of protective levees aroundthe northern perimeter of the C?s!'ian Sea should be built. The total length required is1,430km, of which 361 is either completed or '.Jnder construction. The total cost is $200million, ofwhich $30 million is currently funded.

River bank protection in the hean of the city consists ofreinforced concrete lining.North and south of the city, there is no lining and the river is meandering and erodingsome areas, and depositing silt in others. The AlP estimates that 12.2km of riverbank isin need ofprotection. This may be a low estimate. in view of the fact that there isevid~llce that the existing concrete protection is beginning to reach its useful lifeexpectancy. lt is more likely that the entire length of river bank within the city limitswill neoo some work in the near future.

Comments

The behavior of the Caspian Sea has profound consequences for the City.investigations are continuing, and the results will be critical in detennining the courseoffuture planning in the area. Chevron's representative indicated they would makeavailable an extensive study they have conducted on this topic.

School System

The primary, secondary a<nd pre-schools are administered by the City department ofeducation.

Present Conditior"j and Needs

There are approximateley 35,000 pupils in the City administered school system. Thereis a shortage ofspace, teacher salaries are low, and there is a near crisis situation in thepre-schools due to insufficient funding,. both for meals as well as instructor salaries.Schools operate in shifts and classrooms are overcrowded.

Comments

It appears that the general level of literacy in the population is high. However. thefuture quality of education may be severely impacted by the identified crisis ill funding.

Housing

In the past, primary funding for housing W1lS provided by industry. Both industry andgovernment investment in housil~g has dropped dramaticaly, leading to the currentdeficit of 50,OOOm2 of living space. Many housing units stand unfinished, and themaintenance level in existing units is, for the most part, minimal. While the interior ofeach apartment receives attention from the owner/tenants, no one appears to bemaintaining common aeeas, such as building stairs, hallways, frontage, etc. As a resultof this {and poor initial constrttetion}, structures that are only 5 years old appear to beSO.

NOTE: Time did not allow for all areas to be covered. The AlP provides basicinformation in a number of those areas. It can be presumed that the general level ofavailable data, reports, etc. will be consistent with what was discovered to be availableduring the assessment of the service areas described above.

SUMMARY

Following is an abbreviated summary cost table of capital inv~lment requirements inareas where an assessment of needs and their cost was readily available in the AlP orfrom other sources. The figures should be treated as having 8n order of magnitudeaccuracy only, and are presented here solely for the purpose ofgiving a navor of thebreadth and scope of the problem:

Description of Improvement

--------------------Capital Investment SourceNeed( in $million's) Document

~I

25 AlP40 AlP

5 AlP

20 TeO50 AlP50 MBG65 CS

200 AlP100 MBG250 CS10 CS50 AlP20 MBG10 MBG10 MBG

905Sub-Total

Improyenients or Local (Oty) Significance

Streets and SidewalksUral River ChaMel DredgingPublic TransitWater Supply System

Circular Primary LoopMain Line DistributionSecondary Distribution

Sewage TreatmentCentral Heat and Elect. Power

Addition to TECNetwork Improvements

Drainage SystemRefuse Collection and DisposalTelecommunicationsGas Service ImprovementsNew SchoolsCultural, Sports and Other Facilities

: •• 'f

Improyements of Regionsl Significance

New AirportCaspian Sea Flood LeveesPort FacilitiesRail Service

6001105010

OSOSMBGAlP

Sub-Total 830

OS =Oblast Staff CS =City Staff AlP =Atyrau Improvement ProgramMBG =My Best Guess

l

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OBSERVATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS

The purpose of this exercise was to gather data relative to the delivery of municipalservices and to assess the availability of planning and engineering data regarding futureplanning and municipal infrastructure.

Available Information

• There are a number of studies and project reports available locally in Atyrau thatdeal with city infrastructure needs and future planning. Local omciah~ at thedepartment head level have a good working knowledge ofthese documents. Thevolumes of information prepared in support of the 1992 General Plan Update provide aconcise source ofsummary information on all aspects of infrastructure planning.However, local officials are not in a position to independently undertake projects tofurther develop, refme or reorganize this data, both due to institutional as well as fiscalconstraints.

• The process of arriving at the conclusions presented in the AlP, was a multidisciplinary one, involving engineers, architect/planners and finance people from theCity and Oblast who used existing information to prepare the document. The .transformation of existing data into what is summarized in the AlP needs validationand a good deal of fine tuning. However, on an order of magnitude scale. and takinginto account the short preparation time, it appears to be liS valid a~ such data can be ina volatile economic climate. The fact that the data collection methodolgy may in someinstances have been somewhat crude, is offset by the fact that it was done by local staff•with a first hand knowledge of the problems being nddressed. .

• Clear and easily disseminated information was not high on the priority list for theformer regime, so ways ofsummarizing data for general consumption have not beendeveloped. The AlP was an attempt to, transcend these limitations and presentavailable information in a readable format. With most other infonnation that isavailable, the data is generally limited to tables and narrative, with few, if any maps. orother graphic aids. Information tends to be bound in volumes.

• The AlP is a wish list, not unlike wishlists prepared 1?Y western municipalities whendeveloping strntegies for capital funding. It's a conservative wishlist that. if anything.does not aim high enough.

DeUvery of Services

• The organizational and management problem that bears further looking into as far asthe management of~provided services is concerned, is the inter-relationship of theCity and ihe micro regions (REU's and ZKO's). There appears to be some potential forelimination of duplication of effort as ~_eIJa~poteJltialtoincreasethe!eve! of efficiency and accountability. For example, the ZKO's could be gradually broughtunder City administration, provided there was a transition period (say five years) thatwould allow for the development of a.system of user charges that would make theoperation totally selfsupportive. Further study in this area wou(ld reveal how muchcould be accomplished.

• The relationship between the Republic, the Oblast and the City with respect to fiscalmatters places a constraint on local autonomy and budgetary integrity. Everyone isafter a piece of the same revenue pie. so its not unusual that there is friction and turfwars. As a result, consolidation and reorganization of certain systems that provide key

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services (such as ~ombining under one agency water treatment and distribution systemmanagement), while desirable. would require careful negotiations for a win/winconclusion. In the end, if there is enough money generated to pay for the service. thenoptimizing management strategies and restlUctiring existing institutions. to achievesavings through efficiency of operation and economies ofscale. would be a lot easier.

• The institutional framework within which certain services are provided (like water. forexample) is the outgrowth of how the service was initially developed and providedunder the Soviets. Those enterprises that paid for the initial investment into the capitalplant. are still in charge of administering the service. Plans for consoHdating andreorganizing the administrative structure to achieve efficiency would need to recognizethe fiscal implications, and would need to include cost recovery from the user as anintegral part of the plan.

• While some service operations are being privatized (such as road maintenance andpublic transit), the process does appear to be occuring in a systematized fashion thatwould address, for example. the costlbenefit or public service aspects of the change thatis ocurring. As a result. the level ofservice is not necessarily being enhanced throughcompetition, and essential public services, such as local bus service to areas of the city.are disappearing.

Other Observations and Conclusions

• The current infrastructure deficiencies prevelant throughout the City may beprimarily the result of poorly planned and executed initial construction combined withthe impact of the harsh local environment; however, the lack of regularly scheduledmaintenance and a clear. consistent and accountable administrative structure was also amajor contributing factor.. Any proposed capital improvement project should beaccompanied by a full program of training for maintenance and operations personnel.together with a commitment by the appropriate administrative bodies to fund futuremaintenance. There also needs to be attention given to the creation ofstrongmanagement units within each service department to assure the implementation oflongterm goals and policies.

• The City should look at establishing impact fees to be charged when there is newdevelopment going in. Adding these costs to the cost of new housing would be anadded burden and could discourage some builders. Nevertheless. as a matter ofpriniciple, it would be a good idea for the City to consider the concept of "newdevelopment pays its way". If nothing else, by considering this issue, the City wouldbecome more aware of hidden subsidies a~d future potential problems that it may becreating by not addressing infrastructure needs associated with new development.

• The city appears to be in the midst of a budget crisis. which is affecting both staffingand morale. This is also apparent at different levels.ofthe Oblast administration aswelt. A~ a result, introduction-ofnewprocesses, Speciaf projects, etc. should beconsidered in light of these developments.

WHAT TO DO NEX]1

The level of available technical data and other infonnation is sufficient for a first cut.order of magnitude financial strategic plan. A possible scenario for assemblinginformation that could be used to seek international funding is as follows:

I. The information in the AlP. the supporting documentation for the latest GeneralPlan update. and the information available innumerous reports and studies would needto be consolidated. Substantiating data with respect to quantitative information wouldneed to be reviewed in greater detail than this study has allowed time for. and where thelevel of backup is insufficient to warrant the assumptions made, a feasibility level studymay need to be performed. For conceptual estimety, on an order of magnitude scale,~he feasibility studies and preliminary designs and quantity takeoffs that exist areprobably sufficient for most areas of interest.

2. The cost assigned in these documents to various improvement projects would needto be validated. This part of the exercise could be time consuming without the activeparticipation of local officials. Depending on the level of accuracy desired, either theoriginal cost estimate in rubles could be brought up to date with inflation factors, or thecosts could be re-figured by applying current unit prices to the validated quantities. Acomposite document, incorporating some of the graphics in the AlP, adding narrativefrom GP reference volumes, and cost data compiled in the manner suggested above,could then be prepared and reorganized into a more convential capital improvementprogram format.

3. A mapping project would need to be initiated to develop map overlays for eachsector that would allow for preparation of exhibits showing where and what the needsare in different parts of the City. The maps would need to be reproducible. The projectcould be elaborate, focused on producing long term mapping capabilities for the Citythrough a GIS system, or it could be abbreviated, with maps produced either by handor on a computer/plotter.

. .4. Taking the end product, which would be in the form of a "draft" Strategic Plan (SP)for financing infrastructure improvements, capable of being duplicated, and presentedin a format that would be both professional looking and readable, a validation processcould be initiated that would involve participants from the City, Oblast and otherstakeholders. The goal of the process would be to develop a final draft SP, byconsensus.

5. A timeline for implementation of various components of the program would need tobe estimated, indicating approximateley the length of time it would take to implementan improvement project, as well as when and at what pace industrial, commercial andresidential development can be expected to occur. This may take some guesswork, butit would nevertheless be a necessary and valuable exercise in order to move into the nextphase.

6. Utilizing the above generated product, projects could be prioritized and phased.with the goal of arriving at a strategy for utilization ofavailable funds in stages. First,the various physical improvement projects would be broken into phases that would bebased on a logical progression ofconstruction (you don't build and install a bigger andbetter pump until, or~ you also improve-tbetineihattite-pump-witlbepuhfpHfgthrough). These phases would be large enough tojustify an investment in tenns of timeand effort to do a project, but small enough to make use of available funds inincrements. Then a prioritization matrix would be set up, with parameters selected byparticipants in the process. The matrix would be used to evaluate and prioritize thephased projects to see where money made available from loans, bonus programs orother sources should go first - to build more classroom space or to improve the drainagesystem - to add a new TEC or to rebuild the existing heating supply line network. torebuild part of the water system or to pave unpaved sections ofstreet - etc.

/'

7. The final product would be a document that contains a projected cash flowrequirement by project and by year. This could be matched against potential availablefunding sources. .

HOW SHOULD IT BE DONE?

The seven step process described above could be accomplished under several differentscenarios.

Scenario I:

A project team would be assembled comprised of existing staff of the Oblast and theCity, perhaps supplemented by experts [relm the appropriate Ministery Institutes foradditional technical support. The local team would need assistance and coaching by alimited number ofconsultants (perhaps a planner, engineer and finance expert)knowledgeable in the preparation ofsimilar documents. Technical assistance wouldalso be needed in the area of exhibit preparation (particularly mapping), cost validationand financial forecasting. The finished document would be produced locally.

The advantage of this approach is that it affords local staff an opportunity of learningfirst hand the process of compiling a document for the purposes intended. The problemis time and money. Local staff cutbacks are evident in all areas, and time to work onthis project would have to be taken from other duties, and would have to becompensated for from some portion of the already strained budgets of the City orOblast. Costs ofdocument preparation and printing would also need to be covered.The .end product may not be as professional as a document produced by a consultantfirm.

Scenario 2:

A multi-disciplinary team from a consultant firm specializng in the preparation ofsimiliar documentation could be retained to conduct the exercise. Participation by localstaff would be in a support capacity only. Validation of the effort by local authoritieswould require sufficient interaction throughout the process with local representativesof the City and Oblast. The document would be assembled in rough form on site. andthen compiled and produced in final form by the consultant.

The advantage of this approach is that there is less lag time caused by a need to educatelocal staff in the process of assembling such a document. The difficulty would be inmaking the transition from available data ~n site to the incorporation of that data inthe final document. The consultant(s) would need to be able to make both quantitativeand qualitative judgements with less direct knowledge of the history of the datagathering process, and without a first hand knowledge of the specific problems in eachsector.

Scenario 3:

Some combination of the above two scenarios that would optimize the balance betweenlocal participation and outside assistance to yield the desired result in the least amountoftime.

Whose document it is in the final analysis, the municipalities and/or the consultant's,depends on the integrity of the process and the dedication of the people involved. Itwould be desireable to solicit from the local authorities clearance to maximize

1!,

participation by local staff in the process as much as possible. The long term benefitsof this would be not only in terms oftlle final product, but in terms of having a trainedgroup available locally to carry the process on and, perhaps, to duplicate it in othercommunities in Kazakhstan.

Some aosiDg Thoughts

• The Atyrau officials and residents are well aware of the deficiencies in their system ofmunicipal services delivery, and ofthe infrastructure needs overall. They have also beenled to believe, for a number of years in the past under the Soviet regime, as well aspresently, by various parties, that their salvation lay in the oil reserves that would bringthem future revenue that would allow them to remedy these problems. The needs are sogreat, however, that to make significant inroads in remedying existing deficiencies willtake time and a good deal more money than may have ever been anticipated. In orderto maintain this faith in the future, and to .stem the tide ofgrowing cynicism(exemplified by the questions being asked, and remarks already being made. about theexpected delivery of promised computers), it would be important to show someconcrete results as soon as possible. It would be desirable. ifpossible, to implementsome low cost, high visibility projects up front, while looking for the big bucks.

• Some suggestions for high impact/visibility projects that can be implemented in arelatively short time period include the purchase of handicap buses; providing the Citywith a CADD mapping system or a GIS system; completion of the primary loop waterdistribution system (not necessarily low cost, but readily implementable); assistance inthe development of a strategy for the reorganization and optimization of servicedelivery to multi-unit complexes (REU's and ZKO's) and other management trainingand assistance aimed at making existing operations more efficient and, in the long run,selfsupporting.

• In addition to poor construction, lack of maintenance, institutional problems etc., theexisting siting of the City is also a contributing factor to all of the infrastructure woes.A cost analysis should be performed to see ifit may be more cost effective to graduallyrelocate the residential portion of the City further north and start buildinginfrastructure from scratch, along more conventiallines, such as with a natural gasheating system, rather'than trying to salvage and rehabilitate what's in place today.The industrial (and perhaps commercial, institutional and recreational elements) couldbe left within the existing developed portion oftbe City. This idea is not new, and hasbeen considered in the past. It would take time, and during the period of gradualrelocation, some improvements to the existing system would be necessary to maintain 8

tolerable quality ofUfe for the residents. Ouring tbe next phase ofthe analysis, thisoption should be given serious consideration.

• Lastly, more so perhaps than the potential oil reserves in the area, the naturalresource in Atyrau is its people. Tbeyare intelligent, resourceful, hospitable,technicaly competent and anxIous to move forWard in apositive direction. They cnlyneed to be given the opportunity, the training, and the resources.

John Lisenko, P.E.

May 1995

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