This year, Balkhash, Caspian and Aral received record volumes of water

This year, a record amount of water was collected in the reservoirs of Kazakhstan – more than 75 billion cubic meters. Of these, more than 12 billion cubic meters are flood water. The correct distribution of flood water made it possible not only to fill reservoirs, but also to direct water to rivers and lakes that have faced drying out in recent years, estuaries, natural pastures and other objects, the press service of the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation of the Republic of Kazakhstan reports.

So, since the beginning of the year, 15.4 billion cubic meters of water have entered Lake Balkhash, which is 4 billion cubic meters more than a year earlier. Of these, 3.3 billion cubic meters were received during the flood. The Caspian Sea has received 17 billion cubic meters of water since the beginning of the year. For the first time in 10 years, the Kapchagai reservoir in the Almaty region was filled to 100%, collecting more than 18 billion cubic meters of water.

During the flood, 80 million cubic meters of water were sent to the Kamysh-Samara lakes of the West Kazakhstan region. 839 million cubic meters of water were sent from the Ulytau region to the Kyzylorda region. Due to this, for the first time in the history of observations, this water reached the lake systems of the Kyzylorda region through the Sarys River.

In the south of the country, as noted in the Ministry, thanks to water diplomacy, a clear distribution of water and the introduction of water-saving technologies, it was also possible to improve the water balance.

So, about 2.5 billion cubic meters of water were sent to the Northern Aral Sea this year, which is more than 400 million cubic meters more than in 2023. At the same time, the use of water-saving technologies allowed the agrarians of the Kyzylorda region to save 200 million cubic meters of water, which were also sent to the Northern Aral Sea.

In total, since the beginning of the year, more than 4.7 billion cubic meters of water have been sent to the lake systems of the Kyzylorda region. For comparison, last year this figure was about 4.3 billion cubic meters.

“In the allocation of water resources, we are always looking for the right balance between the needs of the economy and the maintenance of ecosystems of water bodies. A lot of work has been done this year to preserve and restore large and small reservoirs without harming farmers and other water users. For example, about 11 billion cubic meters of water were supplied to the country’s farms during the past irrigation period. In the future, work in this direction will be improved. Including through the creation of a new regulatory framework that gives priority to competent management and water consumption,” said Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation of the Republic of Kazakhstan Nurzhan Nurzhigitov.