By chance, finding myself in the Kargacheva grove, intended by its creator A. M. Fetisov to become a green oasis for the city, I thought that the tireless gardening enthusiast would have died on the spot, only remotely imagining what his “grateful” descendants would turn it into… Palisades of stumps, broken trunks, dead trees, barbarically scorched absolutely healthy trees and shrubs, mountains of plastic and other garbage strewn along the irrigation ditches and simply on the lawns, and a viscous gray-black thick foul sludge, continuously flowing from the adobe houses of squatters into the irrigation ditches. A swarm of flies and other insects flock to this drain, the stench stings the nose, and the eyes burn from the fumes of urine! As one well-known television hero said, “a painting in oil”…
Only it resembles not “The Last Day of Pompeii”, but certainly “The Last Days of the Kargacheva Grove.” Forgive us, indifferent to these soulless terrible non-humans (otherwise, they are not worth calling), for allowing you, the uncomplaining Kargacheva Grove, to be so mutilated. In 1881, north of the city of Pishpek, the scientist-gardener Fetisov laid the future grove on an area of eighty desyatins, mainly from kargach trees, which are perfectly adapted to the local climate, having large crowns under which vacationers can rest after laborious cares. The plantings were completed by 1883 with the support of the Pishpek Forestry. Fetisov arrived in Pishpek from St. Petersburg in the late 1870s. Using the modest funds allocated by the city administration, he created a nursery – about 80 thousand seedlings of various species. All nearby villages, and beyond them, started to cultivate gardens, using the seedlings from the Pishpek plantation. Years went by, and gradually Fetisov’s dream of creating an artificial forest mass was coming true. The grove expanded, turning into a forest and the most popular park for culture and recreation. On the eve of the Great Patriotic War, the youth of the city created Komsomol Lake in the grove. Young men and women worked with pickaxes and shovels, carrying out thousands of cubic meters of soil on stretchers and improving the sites. In the post-war period, the territory of the Kargacheva grove was further expanded and became a favorite place for city dwellers to relax. The fresh air, abundance of greenery, and convenient transport made it a beloved place of rest for urban residents for many years. The Kargacheva grove still attracts Bishkek residents of all ages today. And even the fact that it is gradually being cut down and built over does not deter the townspeople. Moreover, rest at Komsomol and Pioneer Lakes is the most financially accessible. Although residential buildings are getting closer to the water bodies. People drive cars in transit right along the shore, raising dust. It hardly even “smells” of fresh air here anymore, figuratively speaking. Perhaps it’s time to give this territory a special status and not allow vehicles here. And the water in the lakes is murky, there’s silt at the bottom, and plastic trash floats on the surface. And it’s littered all around. Who to blame for such disorder? The city hall? I think the vacationers are to blame themselves. We need to learn to take care of the environment. And ourselves, of course. Once, all Frunze residents cherished their “green treasure”, regularly participating in subbotniks, which were a “law” for every holiday. But Bishkek residents have already created miserable pictures of reality. In what was once a green and shady grove, on the site of felled kargach trees, ornate mansions hide behind three-meter fences. Tatiana Kizhlova, a resident of the park area, reported that just 2.5 years ago, residents gathered for a picket against construction, and back then the city hall promised them – no more construction in the park. More than 10 houses had already been built then, and today they continue to spring up like mushrooms after rain. “And there is no information anywhere on what grounds the houses are being built,” she said, “The park director ignores our pickets, and the builders informed us that construction is going on with the permission of the municipal enterprise ‘Zelenstroy’.
The first mansions appeared here back in 2007. According to the housing construction department of the Bishkek city hall, VIP developers received permission to acquire plots in the Kargaches with the silent consent of the former akim of the Sverdlovsk region, Paizulla Rahmonov. The former official was considered “a person close to the emperor” during President Kurmanbek Bakiyev’s time. The territorial administration for environmental protection and forest ecosystems in the Chuy region tried to sue the homeowners, who included not only former high-ranking officials and ex-deputies but also some businessmen. However, the Sverdlovsk district court referred to the fact that the homeowners had all the legal documents issued by the local government. At one time, such papers could be obtained at the district administration, despite the fact that the housing construction department at the city hall had not issued permits for the construction of the Kargacheva grove. The thing is, park lands were on the balance of the district beautification combine. There was also no official act of acceptance and transfer of green plantations and lands from the park administration to the municipal enterprise “Zelenstroy” – the legal successor of the Sverdlovsk district beautification combine. This means that the grove is documentarily owned by no one. Thus, “Zelenstroy” should be responsible for the safety of the trees, and the parks management for the land. But due to confusion with the documents, both agencies have extricated themselves from the tasks imposed on them. And everything turned out according to the Kyrgyz proverb, “Two ram heads cannot fit in one cauldron” – an elite township grew in Kargaches. “What are you photographing? Get lost!” – I heard a fierce shout from the “mazanoks” and did not dare to approach closer, lest I risk my already existing photographs (there is a certain sad experience!). This is not at all like Asian hospitality! There is neither sewage nor water supply, the food their owners prepare over a fire, for which the clever Fetisov generously supplied firewood.
Gulzina Abdykadyrova reported that she witnessed cut trees being sold for firewood. A bag of firewood – from 200 soms and up. The miserable houses resemble those that grew like mushrooms in new buildings. Perhaps this is encouraged by the dying forest – as practically a third of all kargaches are parasitized by mushroom plantations! And this is not far from a boarding school for deaf and hard-of-hearing children, located on Dachnaya Street in the Kargacheva grove. According to the director of the boarding school, Erkingul Satybaldieva, the boarding school asked the city hall during Felix Kulov’s time as mayor to allow farming on the adjacent territory. The administration even wanted to legally secure a small plot and went to meet with the mayor. “But Kulov refused us, citing the fact that the land is part of the park zone,” Erkingul said. However, now both this plot and Dachnaya Street itself have long been defaced by buildings of various sizes, alternating with already seemingly purchased but still empty plots. Here, tired homeless people have sprawled out under the sun. And only the old-timers of the capital can tell that there were once dense, sturdy Kargaches here. And over time, evidently, at first, there will be no one to tell, and later – nothing to say! For reference. According to estimates by specialists from the State Agency for Environment Protection and Forestry, the area of the Kargacheva grove has shrunk by 28 hectares compared to 1992. According to ecologist Emil Shukurov, the damage to the country from the deforestation of the grove is irreparable: “It was one of the largest groves in the world. Its closed canopy accumulated moisture not only under the trees, but also around the grove, which is very important for the dry climate of Kyrgyzstan.” Lawyer Erik Iriskulbekov says that the Kargacheva grove is threatened with complete destruction if trees are not urgently stopped from being cut down and cleared areas are not built on. “Of the 215 hectares of the Kargacheva grove, 86 have been sold. Of these, only two plots of four hundred square meters could be returned. “With the collected facts about the construction of park zones, I will appeal to the General Prosecutor’s Office,” he said. Mayor Kulmatov visited the grove and saw the disgraceful situation there. “At present, the establishment of the boundaries of park zones is one of the main problems of the city hall,” the mayor said. “This situation arose precisely because, at the time of the allocation of land plots, park territories were not documentarily secured, but only their boundaries were defined in the master plan. There is land grabbing going on in the Kargacheva grove, but we cannot do anything about it.” Deputy Esengul Isakov says: “Behind all the machinations stands a land mafia among officials of the prosecutor’s office, the GRS, State Architectural Supervision, local government bodies, and local keneshes. The lobby for the “roof” is so strong that corrupt officials fear no one and nothing.” The mayor sees the way out of the situation in legislatively securing at least the remaining lands and protecting them from construction. And in the future, to resolve the issue of park property owners in court. Kulmatov has given a very stern mandate to find an investor who will help restore the park area, giving this investor the opportunity to build infrastructure facilities there, through which they will later maintain this park. And it seems an investor has already been found. Philippe Bouazo, president of the Franco-Kyrgyz Ecotourism Association, promised that the natural park in the recreation area “Kargacheva grove” would not only be restored and modernized, but a reserve for unique animals of Kyrgyzstan would be organized there. Citizens are promised to even see red wolves and Przhevalski’s horses. As an example, the Frenchman cites the eco-park “Flora” in the city of Nantes. “The difference between an animal park and a zoo is that animals are not kept in cages, but in natural spaces broken up into fenced areas, that is, the living conditions for animals are as close as possible to their natural habitat,” says Bouazo, “And zoos are losing popularity all over the world due to people’s rejection of the conditions in which animals are kept in cages. Animal parks do not suffer from this, moreover, they could help increase the population of rare species of animals.” The innovative approach to the problem by the city hall is encouraging. They promised to place special emphasis on involving the youth of Kyrgyzstan in this project.
Text and photo: Irina Bayramukova
