13.5 billion cubic meters of water have been sent to Lake Balkhash since the beginning of the year
13.5 billion cubic meters of water have been sent to Lake Balkhash since the beginning of the year through the river or from the Kapshagai reservoir. As a result, the average water level in the lake reached 341.60 m on the Baltic Sea system, the press service of the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation of the Republic of Kazakhstan reports.
About 70% of the water in Lake Balkhash is formed by the transboundary Ili River. This year, the average water flow at the Dobyn hydropost on the boundary with China amounted to 384 cubic meters per second, which is 17% more than last year.
It should be noted that the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation is developing a draft intergovernmental agreement on the distribution of transboundary rivers between Kazakhstan and China. The main purpose of the agreement is to ensure the flow of water that will allow Lake Balkhash to be maintained at an optimal level.
“We have held 28 meetings on transboundary rivers with China, Russia and Central Asian countries. As a result of the negotiations this year, more than 18 billion cubic meters of water have been collected in the Kapshagai reservoir for the first time in the last 10 years and filled to 100%,” Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation of Kazakhstan Nurzhan Nurzhigitov said.
