ASTANA, Kazakhstan, December 4. In a harmonious dance of diplomacy, Kazakhstan and France have woven a pact to safeguard lake Balkhash at One Water Summit, Trend reports
The Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation of Kazakhstan, the French Development Agency (AFD), and the French Bureau of Geological and Mining Research (BRGM, Bureau de Recherches Géologiques et Minières) have signed a trilateral cooperation agreement. The President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, and the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, participated in the international One Water Summit in Saudi Arabia and reached the agreement.
The first Vice Minister of the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation of Kazakhstan, Bolat Bekniyaz, represented the ministry at the signing ceremony. The purpose of the document is to develop cooperation in the conservation of Lake Balkhash.
According to the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation of Kazakhstan, the agreement provides for a grant of 1.35 million euros to the Ministry for the development of water resource management for Lake Balkhash. The French side will carry out a comprehensive study of the Lake Balkhash basin and will develop a long-term master plan until 2040 based on the findings.
Additionally, the ministry signed a memorandum of understanding
with BRGM in the field of water resources. The document aims to
develop bilateral cooperation in this area.
"The trilateral agreement with AFD and BRGM is focused on studying
and sustainably managing water in the Lake Balkhash basin. One of
the project's goals is to optimize the operation of the Kapchagay
Reservoir to stabilize the level of Lake Balkhash. Based on the
research findings, activities will be carried out to clean rivers,
prevent soil degradation and water pollution, develop fisheries and
eco-tourism, and create a regulatory framework for the protection
of the lake," said the Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation,
Nurzhan Nurzhigitov.
To note, on December 3rd, the One Water Summit took place in the capital of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, on the sidelines of the next high-level session of the sixteenth session of COP16 of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).