In Bishkek, the area known as the Golden Square, nestled in the city center and prized for its proximity to offices, schools and landmarks, is among some of the most expensive places to live in Kyrgyzstan. But environmental experts warn that it is also among the areas most exposed to severe air pollution.
"Let me put it this way,β Vladislav Ushakov, an expert at the Kyrgyzstan-based environmental platform Ekostan, told Anadolu Agency (AA). "If you want you, your family, and especially your children, to live five to 10 years longer, you need to leave these areas and move to places with better air circulation. Essentially, these neighborhoods are gas chambers.β
The capital of Kyrgyzstan is not an outlier. Across Central Asia, rapid economic growth, surging car ownership and weak environmental controls have combined with geography and weather to push major cities into the ranks of the worldβs most polluted.
Since the beginning of January, Bishkek, Almaty in Kazakhstan and Tashkent in Uzbekistan have repeatedly appeared among the global top 10 for air pollution, according to the IQAir monitor.
Experts stress that the rankings fluctuate daily, but the underlying problem is constant.
"Practically all capitals and major cities in Central Asia suffer f
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