KAZAKHSTAN

A big batch of false mineral water was found

Michail SERGEEV

Beibars BATYRKHANOV

ALMATY, July 9

(THE GLOBE)

�Officers from the tax police found a big batch of 24000 bottles of false water �Saryagash�, �Delfin Alex� trade mark. At present this incident is been investigated,� the deputy of the director of �Alex� company announced on July 9 in Almaty.

According to Askar Akhmetov, the underground plant where these products were found is situated in the fairy farm in the village of Chemolgan. Ten persons worked at this plant. Mr. Akhmetov emphasised that the withdrawn products were produced at the highly technological level, and at the first sight do not differ from the original.

The deputy of the director stated that water used to fill the bottles, was taken from the artesian well located in the yard of the farm. The quality of water is been checked by the city Sanitary Epidemic Station. Before there tax police twice found underground enterprises producing mineral water of our registered trade mark, Mr. Akhmetov added.

�We suppose that several illegal plants manufacturing false products with our trade mark are still functioning in the region,� the representative of the company stated.

At present the problem of protection of their trademark is especially urgent for the company. To protect the trademark �Delfin Alex�, the company is going to introduce additional protection degrees.

It is planned to pay a definite reward to some tax policemen.

Askar Akhmetov asserts that there is a danger of poisoning of the false mineral water, as water was not properly purified, the quality of the gas is also doubtful.

According to Mr. Akhmetov, at present 9 producers of mineral water �Saryagash� work in Saryagash district in Southern Kazakhstan. 4 companies also produce water of the same trademark in Shymkent. The company is mainly oriented to the Kazakhstan consumer. �In this year we have not registered any cases of poisoning with mineral water, though they are possible,� the representative of the city Sanitary Epidemic Department told to THE GLOBE. �There is a lot of false products, especially mineral water not only of �Saryagash� trademark in Almaty.� According to Yelena Simner, the city Sanitary Epidemic Station has conducted the expertise of false water of other well-known local enterprise, �Asem Ai� of a very low quality.

�The problem is that many honest producers very seldom apply to our organisation, and if they applied more often, possibly, the number of such cases would be significantly reduced,� Mrs. Simner added.

Today another important problem is the ill-timed term of realisation of the products. The personnel of the city Sanitary Epidemic Station check markets and shops to withdraw from sale and to liquidate products with expired term of realisation.

�In connection to this, we are anxious about the situation with confectionery, especially with those which are sold in the bazaars, as the storage conditions of these products are not good. Now we are trying to settle this problem, checking every shop producing confectionery, conducting plan studies,� the representative emphasised.

One more Fire in Almaty

RFE/RL

RFE/RL correspondents report from the former Kazakh capital that today, July 10, a private gasoline station in Aqsay district of Almaty, namely not far from Abay and Sain Streets� intercession, starting burning. Firefighters have been trying to extinguish the fire for about 10 hours now. There is an explosion danger. Big petroleum reservoir underground the station can blast any moment. Inhabitants of a big 9 storied building situated close to the burning gasoline station have been evacuated.