ASTANA, Kazakhstan, January 17. Kazakhstan plans to construct a new reservoir and canals in the Kyzylorda region, Trend reports, citing the country's Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation.
Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Nurzhan Nurzhigitov and representatives of the region's water management held a meeting to discuss the construction of a new reservoir and canals in the Kyzylorda region and the reconstruction of two hydraulic units and four hydraulic structures.
Nurzhan Nurzhigitov also reported on the work completed in key areas. Currently, a project is being implemented in the Kyzylorda region to reconstruct water intake stations with the installation of an automated water accounting system on five canals, with a total length of about 232 km. Furthermore, project and cost documentation is being developed for the automation of 16 main and inter-farm canals, with a total length of over 2,600 km.
"As a result of bilateral and trilateral negotiations with neighboring countries and decisions made, in 2024, more than 15 billion cubic meters of water flowed into the Shardara Reservoir. Of this, 4.8 billion cubic meters were collected during the irrigation period, and 10.3 billion cubic meters during the non-irrigation period. Additionally, 2.6 billion cubic meters of water were directed to the Northern Aral Sea through the ‘Karateren’ hydropost. For comparison, in 2022, only 816 million cubic meters of water were sent to the Aral Sea," said Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Nurzhan Nurzhigitov.
To note, efforts to implement water-saving systems continue in the Kyzylorda region. Last year, thanks to water-saving technologies, farmers in the region saved around 200 million cubic meters of water.