Industrial geomorphogenesis of modern megacities of Kazakhstan

Abstract

In modern megacities around the world, there is a pronounced disruption of the natural ecosystem. Instead of  the natural environment in urbanized territories, human has created an artificial man-made environment. Urbanization processes are dynamic processes in which the importance of cities in the development of modern  society is growing. The prerequisites for urbanization processes are a significant increase in production and  trade, a further division of labor, an increase in the importance of cultural and political functions of cities, and  the concentration of financial, human, and intellectual resources in cities. The forecasts of experts from the  World Health Organization note that the most serious problem for humanity by the end of the 21st century  may be a huge increase in the urban population, which will certainly have a significant impact on the environment. As a result, a person will be affected by a complex of environmental factors that will influence the  course of adaptation processes of an urban dweller. Many Kazakhstani researchers confirm the fact that at the present stage a new ecological and geographical  environment has been formed in the megacities of Kazakhstan, where there is a high concentration of anthropogenic factors. The total dust level in the cities of Kazakhstan is 30‒40 times higher than the background,  and abnormal areas are observed near industrial enterprises, the pollution of which is 600 times higher than  the background. Even in neighborhoods relatively remote from industrial areas, the content of chemical elements in precipitation is 2-3 times higher than in the background. Directly in industrial production areas, their  content increases by 10–20 times, which causes various diseases of the urban population.