Clean water is a children's health question
Taza Suu («clean water») is a group of volunteers who test the tap water in the outer districts of Talas and publish what they find. The group was started in 2021 by doctors and nurses of a children's polyclinic in the outer districts, who were seeing too many children with stomach infections in the summer and wanted to know why. It was registered as a public association in 2022.
Once a month, on a Saturday, volunteers go from courtyard to courtyard with test kits. We measure the chlorine left in the water at the tap, how cloudy it is (turbidity) and nitrates. Some samples go to the laboratory of the Faculty of Biology and Chemistry at Talas State University, where student volunteers test them for coliform bacteria. Everything we find is published here and sent to Talas Suu (the city water company) and to the district polyclinics.
What we have learned
- The further a house is from the main pipes, the less chlorine is left at the tap. At the ends of the old lines there is often almost none.
- Water is cloudiest in April and May, when the river is high, and after repairs.
- Most bacteria we find are in houses that store water in open tanks or buckets, and in streets where the old pipes run next to the drains.
- Things get better when pipes are replaced: in Kök-Terek, where Talas Suu replaced the main in 2024, we now find chlorine at the tap in most samples.
Who we are
Coordinator: Dr Damira Kenesbay, paediatrician. About 40 regular volunteers: nurses, students, teachers, pensioners and neighbours. Taza Suu is about water. We are not part of any party or campaign, and testing days are not the place for leaflets or speeches. Everyone is welcome to help, from any association or none.
Contact: tazasuu@attelkom.net · Tulpar: Taza Suu Talas · or leave a note for us at Köpürö, Bilim Street 23.
Page updated: Friday, 9 October 2026. This page is written by Taza Suu, a member of Köpürö, and hosted free of charge on kopuro.org.