Kazakhstan Prepares Eight Basin Plans for Water Management
The Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation of the Republic of Kazakhstan has completed data collection to create eight basin plans. These documents will regulate the consumption and protection of the country’s rivers, lakes, and groundwater sources under a new Water Code. The Information and Analytical Center of the ministry has finalized the first stage of this initiative, systematizing data on the condition of water bodies and the level of anthropogenic stress they endure.
Specialists digitized hydrological and climate indicators for every region. The resulting database incorporates information on the state of water management infrastructure and water withdrawal volumes. Primary attention is directed toward sectors generating the main load on ecosystems: agriculture, industrial facilities, the energy sector, and public utilities. The collected statistics are cross-referenced with the socio-economic development rates of the territories, allowing for the projection of water deficits or surpluses in specific districts.
The subsequent phase involves an inventory of the issues facing each individual water body and an assessment of their ecological status. Based on these findings, government officials and environmentalists will formulate a set of measures for the rational allocation of resources. The existing water management system requires modernization due to climate change and increasing consumption, which is why plans are being developed individually for each of the republic’s eight water basins.
Serikzhan Beketaev, director of the ministry’s water policy department, stated that this approach ensures actual local conditions are taken into account – from the regional ecological situation to the physical deterioration of hydraulic structures. “Based on these documents, a master plan for integrated water resources management will be developed,” the ministry representative specified. The new regulations are expected to serve as the foundation for long-term state planning amidst global climate change.
