Islamic Development Bank to lend Kazakhstan money for reservoirs
Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation of Kazakhstan Nurzhan Nurzhigitov at the government hour in the Mazhilis on May 12, 2025 told what is being done for effective management of water resources in the country.
The speaker noted that 138 water supply projects worth 184 billion tenge are planned to be implemented in 2025. Of these, 31 are for the construction and reconstruction of water supply facilities in Akmola, Atyrau, Almaty, Kyzylorda, Turkestan, West Kazakhstan, North Kazakhstan, Mangistau regions and Ulytau region. 71 billion tenge was allocated for these purposes in 2025.
“As a result of the implementation of these projects, it is planned to build more than 2.5 thousand km of water pipes, which will provide water supply to 468 settlements with a total population of about 1.3 million people. Along with this, design estimates and feasibility studies for 214 projects are being developed. All projects envisage efficient use of water resources and include automation elements. Completion of the development of most of the projects is planned this year,” Nurzhigitov explained.
In parallel, according to the minister, work is underway to attract investors to the implementation of projects.
“Today, the Board of Directors of the Islamic Development Bank has approved a loan and grant totaling $2.7 billion. The project is planned to be implemented in two stages. As part of the loan, the construction of four reservoirs will begin in 2025. Three of them – Akmola, Kalguty and Karauzyak, located in the south, should cover the water deficit during the growing season on the newly introduced irrigation area of 22.5 thousand hectares. The fourth reservoir on the Bolshoy Uzen River (28 million m3) in the West Kazakhstan region is focused on retaining flood and meltwater and eliminating the threat of flooding of two settlements Kaztalov district (about 5 thousand people),” he said.
The second stage of the loan implementation, planned from 2027, includes 25 projects, including the construction of 13 and the reconstruction of 11 reservoirs.
“The Ministry is also working to attract grant funds to water management projects. Since its inception, the ministry has attracted more than $ 12 million as grants to the water industry. Examples of this work are a grant of 1.35 million euros provided by the French Development Agency (AFD) for the development of a master plan for Lake Balkhash. Along with this, Kazakhmys Corporation provides for the allocation of $ 5 million to preserve the ecological system of Lake Balkhash,” the head of the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation added.
According to him, there is also an agreement on the provision of about $ 2 million by the Government of Japan for the implementation of a project to improve flood control measures through integrated dam management in Kazakhstan, an agreement with the Islamic Development Bank on technical assistance in the amount of $ 3.5 million to study and assess the problems of water/river basins for KazNIIVH, technical equipment RSE “Kazvodkhoz” and evaluation of the implementation of early response systems for the information and analytical center.
“In order to provide drinking water supply to the population of five districts of the Turkestan region (Saryagash, Keles, Kazygurt, Zhetysai and Maktaaral) on March 11 this year, the ministry signed an investment agreement with South Hydro Power LLP on the implementation of a project to build a group water pipeline with a cascade of hydroelectric power stations on the Ugam River. The project cost is 190 billion tenge (according to the feasibility study). The implementation of the project will create more than 600 jobs. The project provides for the laying of a tunnel with a length of 12 km and the construction of a 40 km long water pipeline with a storage tank and a treatment plant in the village of Zhanabazar, as well as a cascade of five hydroelectric power stations,” the minister summed up.
The production capacity of the project is 110 million m3/year of drinking water and 72 MW/h of electricity, which will partially cover the shortage of energy capacity in the region.
On May 9, 2025, it was reported that a multifactorial survey of 134 hydraulic structures was being conducted in Kazakhstan. According to the press service of the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, a total of 557 structures are planned to be inspected by the end of 2028.
Oksana Dairova (Zakon.kz )
