Kazakhstan Halts Lake Kaindy Dam Project to Protect Environment

The management of Kolsai Lakes National Park in Kazakhstan has abandoned plans to construct a dam at Lake Kaindy, a project originally intended to prevent the reservoir from drying up. The initiative is currently on hold following the natural stabilization of water levels and a reassessment of significant environmental risks.

Discussion regarding an artificial dam first emerged in 2021 after reports indicated a sharp decline in the water level. At that time, the local budget allocated 111 million tenge for the development of design and estimate documentation. By 2022, officials maintained that engineering intervention was the only viable way to save the lake, although specific data regarding the rate of water loss was not provided.

The current hydrological situation was clarified during a recent press tour marking the end of the March of Parks campaign. Khamit Akhmetov, the deputy director of the national park, reported that the environment has stabilized through natural means. Specialists observe that the water level in Lake Kaindy is no longer receding, which renders major construction activities redundant.

The park administration also accounted for the potential environmental damage associated with the project. The construction of the hydraulic structure would have required the development of new access roads and the clearing of Tian Shan fir trees. A full-scale construction project – involving heavy machinery and irreversible changes to the landscape – threatened to permanently destroy the area’s pristine character. Environmental monitoring of the reservoir remains ongoing, and the project will only be reconsidered if Lake Kaindy begins to lose water again.