Brief history. The Department of Water, Oil and Gas Resources and Georisks is one of the oldest departments of the Kyrgyz Mining and Metallurgical Institute named after U. Asanaliev of the Kyrgyz State Technical University named after I. Razzakov (KSTU).
The specialty of Hydrogeology and Engineering Geology was opened in 1965 at the Department of Geology and Petrography. In 1969, on the basis of this department, the Department of Hydrogeology and Engineering Geology was created as part of the Mining and Geological Faculty of the Frunze Polytechnic Institute. It was headed by the oldest hydrogeologist of Kyrgyzstan, Corresponding Member of the Academy of Sciences of the Kirghiz SSR, Doctor of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences P.G. Grigorenko. Subsequently, in different years, the department was headed by professors and doctors of geological and mineralogical sciences E. Mamyrov, V. E. Matychenkov, K. A. Kozhobaev, E. I. Lagutin, L. E. Orolbaeva.
On November 1, 2017, on the basis of the departments of "Hydrogeology and Engineering Geology" and "Geology of Oil and Gas", the Department of "Hydrogeology, Engineering Geology, Geology of Oil and Gas" was created, and since January 2022, the department was renamed - "Water, Oil and Gas Resources and Georisks" (WORG).
Since its foundation, the department has trained more than a thousand certified specialists (mining engineers-geologists), as well as candidates and doctors of science.
Graduates of the department are in demand in survey, design and geological organizations, at mining enterprises, research institutes of the Academy of Sciences, in inspection and environmental institutions of Kyrgyzstan and countries of the near and far abroad. Mining engineers form the backbone of the hydrogeological, engineering-geological services and the oil and gas industry of Kyrgyzstan. The Department of VNRiG is a center for training engineers in prospecting and exploration of groundwater, engineering-geological surveys, rational nature management, protection and protection of the geological environment in the context of intensive development of water management and the mining industry, forecasting and monitoring of natural disasters and geohazards, seismic research, forecasting and prevention of geological processes at mining enterprises, prospecting, exploration, development and operation of oil and gas fields.
Teaching staff. Currently, the department employs 2 professors, doctors of geological and mineralogical sciences, 5 associate professors, candidates of geological and mineralogical sciences, 4 senior lecturers, 1 teacher, as well as 3 educational and auxiliary staff: head of the laboratory, methodologist and engineer.
The department carries out scientific, educational, educational, methodological and organizational activities in accordance with the State Educational Standard of Higher Professional Education, working curricula, the academic calendar of the university and other regulatory legal acts.
The department has laboratories "Hydrogeology", "Hydrogeodynamics", "Engineering and Geological Analysis of Soils" and computer classes.
In 2021, a branch of the department was organized at the Central Asian Institute of Applied Geosciences, on the basis of which a master's program for training highly qualified master's specialists (the "Georiski" program) is being implemented.
The branch staff conducts lectures and laboratory classes; supervise diploma projects, scientific research on the topics of CAIAG, writing master's theses and final qualification works; industrial practices.
In 2022, within the framework of the Erasmus+ project "Development of interdisciplinary postgraduate education programs and strengthening research networks in the field of geoinformation technologies in Armenia and Kyrgyzstan" (GeoTAK), a PhD doctoral program was opened in the scientific and educational program "Geoinformation systems and technologies in applied geology".
Activities. The department provides training for specialists - mining engineers-geologists in the specialty 630001 "Applied Geology" specializing in "Prospecting and Exploration of Groundwater and Engineering-Geological Surveys", "Methods for Studying Engineering-Geological Processes", "Geology of Oil and Gas". Duration of study is 5 years. It also trains masters in the direction 630100 "Applied Geology" under the programs "Integrated Use and Protection of Groundwater Resources", "Geological Risks". Duration of study is 2 years.
Bachelors and masters in the direction 630400 "Oil and Gas Business" under the programs "Development and Operation of Oil and Gas Fields", "Drilling Oil and Gas Wells", "Storage and Transportation of Oil and Oil Products".
Duration of study for bachelors is 4 years and for masters is 2 years.
The Department successfully develops postgraduate and doctoral studies in the specialties 250007 "Hydrogeology" and 250008 "Engineering Geology, Permafrost and Soil Science".
Since 2022, PhD students have been trained in the direction 630100 "Applied Geology" under the program "Geoinformation Systems and Technologies in Applied Geology". Duration of study is 3 years.
The department cooperates with related universities of the Russian Federation, China, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, more than 20 leading enterprises and organizations in industries with which cooperation agreements have been concluded.
Achievements. The department staff has written and published 14 monographs, more than 20 books and textbooks. Articles are published in indexed international and national journals.
The department took part in the international educational projects of the European Union TEMPUS for the implementation of the Master's educational program "Sustainable Water Management in Central Asia" (2011-2014) and ERASMUS + "Development of interdisciplinary postgraduate education programs and strengthening research networks in the field of geoinformation technologies in Armenia and Kyrgyzstan" (GeoTAK from 2021-2024) for the implementation of the PhD program. Individual employees of the department are members of the International Specialized Council for the Defense of Candidate and Doctoral Dissertations in the Specialties of "Hydrogeology", "Engineering Geology, Permafrost and Soil Science" at the Institute of Water Problems and Hydropower of the National Academy of Sciences of the Kyrgyz Republic, members of the State Commission on Reserves (SCR) under the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic, the Organizing Committee of the International Geodynamic Test Site of the Institute of High Temperatures of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Geographical Society of the Russian Federation, the International Cryosphere Council (Germany), the Expert Council of the National Accreditation Commission of the Kyrgyz Republic, the Supervisory Board under the Agency for Environmental Protection and Forestry of the Kyrgyz Republic, etc.
Teachers and students have completed advanced training courses at the American University of Central Asia in Bishkek (2012), in the People's Republic of China (2014), in Norway "Arctic University" (2013 and 2014), the Kazakh-German University on the projects "Management water resources in Central Asia (2011, 2014), at the Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden (KTH) (2023), at Akito University in Japan (2022), Lomonosov Moscow State University (RF), Ural State Mining University (RF), Ufa State Petroleum Technological University (RF), etc.
Employees were awarded the honorary badges "Excellent in Education of the Kyrgyz Republic", Certificates of Honor of the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic, the Ministry of Education and Science of the Kyrgyz Republic, medals and certificates of honor of the Kyrgyz State Technical University named after I. Razzakov, the Kyrgyz Mining and Metallurgical Institute named after academician U. Asanaliev.
At the present stage, the relevance of the direction of hydrogeology and engineering geology lies in the fact that the provision of fresh water is the main problem of the 21st century, and water in terms of value for the further development of human civilization comes out on top, ahead of energy resources. Due to the constant growth of the Earth's population, the volume of water consumption also increases. The population mercilessly destroys natural ecosystems. This led to the fact that already at the beginning of this century, water for technical and drinking purposes became one of the most significant resources that are necessary not even for global economic growth, but for the banal survival of man.
In addition, engineering and geological studies of the human habitat, on which its further development is based, are becoming increasingly relevant. New territories are being developed, modern buildings and structures are being built, which put forward new requirements for research and researchers.
Issues of the fuel and energy complex do not lose their relevance, especially for Kyrgyzstan. Expansion of the mineral resource base of the oil and gas industry is the primary task of oil geologists and production engineers.
The department is actively working to adapt students to the requirements of a rapidly changing, dynamically developing society so that graduates are in demand in the relevant sectors of the economy.
The department pays special attention to the opening of new educational programs within the framework of the main areas of training engineers-geologists, bachelors, masters, scientific and pedagogical personnel in current and priority areas of the country's development: mining, emergency prevention, sustainable provision of natural resources, ensuring the safety of industrial and civil construction facilities, preventing negative consequences from the impact of mining facilities on the environment.
The department also trains qualified specialists who are able to apply their knowledge, skills, and outlook in the areas of newly created spheres of human activity - the study of issues of formation and use of water resources (hydrogeology, glaciology, melioration hydrogeology, permafrost), the use of IT technologies in geology, geothermal and thermomineral energy sources, geological tourism, etc.
Kyrgyz Mining and Metallurgical Institute after U. Asanaliev KSTU named after I. Razzakov is the only university in Kyrgyzstan that trains specialists in these areas and specialties. The Department WORG, which is staffed by highly professional specialists with experience in teaching, research and production activities, has accumulated vast experience in training mining engineers-geologists over almost 60 years of activity.
