Voices
Students in Atyrau Learn Water-play the SEED Way

September 4-8, 2006 [Atyrau, Kazakhstan]

By Lyuba Uvarova

For the students of School No. 1 in Atyrau, in western Kazakhstan just north of the Caspian Sea, the beginning of this new school year was rather special. For several years, the school has been participating in Schlumberger Excellence in Educational Development (SEED) projects, and this year, the arrival of SEED volunteers Piotr Mirovskiy and Alessia Pannese gave the students a chance to carry on with their research on the theme of water.

Overall, there are two schools in Kazakhstan participating in SEED: School No.1 and Daryn School for Gifted Children. A student from the Daryn School (Azamat Asylbekov) won the SEED Art Competition in 2004.

This was the first SEED workshop held in Atyrau and we are thankful to Piotr and Alessia that they have chosen our country for the project. Atyrau is not a big city at present, but it is growing very fast. Oil industry expansion contributes to the development; however along with our city’s growth we must admit that ecological problems are becoming vital. The Ural River, famous for being a natural border between Europe and Asia, is quickly losing its fish population. Our famous Caspian black caviar is the best in the world, but it will soon become unavailable if we don’t take measures quickly. Also, the tap water in our city is not drinkable. These are the two major facts that should make all of us conscious of our environment.

 Piotr and Alessia brought with them boundless enthusiasm and a wealth of experience as veteran volunteers of SEED projects worldwide. A four-day program was planned for this school workshop. The first two days were devoted to discussion about watersheds, water quality, water hygiene, underground water and churning of water. Piotr and Alessia asked the students about cultural traditions associated with water, encouraging them to talk about the ecology of water basins in our area.

On the afternoon of the second day, getting ready for a trip on the Ural River, Alessia told the students about water-borne illnesses, water impurities and techniques for water quality testing. The students were anxious to get to their sampling point, unpack their boxes of equipment and start testing the water. There were two locations that needed to be tested: the first was toward the top of the river. The second sampling point was further downstream, where the water contains urban and industrial emissions. The students were to compare the quality of unpolluted and polluted water and make their own conclusions.

By the end of the day it was evident that the water of the Ural River turned out to be polluted. As a conclusion Piotr and Alessia explained how dangerous it could be to drink this water. They advised the students on how to treat the water before drinking it or cooking with it by boiling and distilling it as a minimum.

The students spent the remaining two days doing experiments in the laboratory and working on their presentations. These were busy, exciting and instructive days for these 10th-grade students. After their presentations the pupils were awarded certificates of participation from Schlumberger. Helping Piotr and Alessia to organize the program, I was truly impressed by how motivated and serious the students were about their SEED water project. Here, at least, are 20 students who will grow up realizing just how important it is to protect the environment.