Reducing the adverse environmental impact on the quality of water, soil and air is one of the key objectives of the organization to become a sustainable business in the tourism sector. A small-size recreational center “Ak-Tilek” at picturesque Belogorka Gorge is popular among visitors, including athletes, coming for a local beautiful scenery and for a kumis treatment. In 2017 Ak-Tilek management installed a modern water treatment facility to minimize its adverse environmental impact by following the principles of sustainable consumption and production (SCP). The recreational center is located above the villages that are positioned along the river. The village residents use water for their daily needs, and thus, the installation of the water treatment facility not only protects the environment, but also enables the villagers to consume clean water.

This facility provides wastewater treatment that meets sanitary regulations and norms, with a capacity to accommodate 75 people. The wastewater treatment process includes several sequential stages of mechanical and biological treatment. The wastewater is first pumped into a mechanical treatment tank where insoluble and coarse particles are crushed. After that, the water undergoes biological treatment (purification) with the help of microorganisms (bacteria). This process allows wastewater to be discharged onto the terrain or used for irrigation. Purified water is discharged into the soil through a drainage system of 120 m2. If needed, the water can be pumped into a plastic reservoir and used later for irrigation.

In addition to the wastewater treatment system, the recreation center has also installed energy-efficient LED lighting in the buildings, which also helps to save energy consumption.

BENEFITS

As a result of these investments, the Ak-Tilek recreational center saves 5,832 m3 of water and electricity up to 29.4 MWh annually, and it also reduces CO2 emissions into the atmosphere by 1.3 tons