Balqash
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| Balkhash | |
| Motto: Save our Environment | |
| Government | |
| - Type | city |
|---|---|
| Elevation | 440 m (1,443.6 ft) |
| Population | |
| - City | 81.000 |
| Website: http://www.balkhash.de - site in Russian | |
Balqash or Balkhash (Kazakh: Балқаш, Russian: Балхаш) is a city with 81.000 inhabitants at Lake Balkhash.
In 1937 Balkhash was founded as industry city around the metallurgic combination. Even nowadays copper is still exploited. The city lies app. 500 km west of the Chinese border on the north side of the lake on a height of 440 m.
The city and the near region are being plagued by environmental issues. The toxic wastes are being buried near the lake by the biggest factory of the city. According to experts around 25.000 tons of heavy metal come into the lake this way.
[edit] External links
- http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/4286916.stm - Info page of BBC about Balqash town, with picture material
