ASTANA, Kazakhstan, February 6. The Turkestan region of Kazakhstan has completed its flood preparedness efforts, cleaning 461 kilometers of irrigation canals (1,203 structures), Trend reports via the official information source of the prime minister of Kazakhstan.
Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, Kanat Bozumbayev, inspected
the Turkestan region’s flood readiness, the condition of
hydro-engineering structures, and the reservoirs.
During the inspection, Kanat Bozumbayev was informed that the
region has carried out all necessary engineering measures for
preparing for the winter-spring flood period. The beds of 9 rivers
and 165 canals, totaling 654 km in length, and 30 km of waterworks
have been cleared. A total of 68.2 km of drainage channels have
undergone mechanical cleaning. As a result, the risk of flooding
has been removed from 20 rural settlements.
The region has 42 reservoirs, with an average fill level of 32 percent. During his working trip, the Deputy Prime Minister examined the technical condition of the “Koskorgan” reservoir (37.3 million m³) in the city of Kentau. It has been in operation since 1982. A multi-factor inspection in 2022 led to the decision to carry out major repairs to the reservoir.
Kanat Bozumbayev also visited the “Bogen,” “Shardara,” and “Baidibek Ata” reservoirs. The Shardara Reservoir is currently 86 percent full, which is an improvement over last year. Specialists are closely monitoring the water level.
The implementation of planned projects aimed at improving hydrogeological conditions will ensure the long-term sustainability of water resources, which is critical for the region.
Bozumbayev also inspected the reconstruction of the Koksarai counter-regulator. Its total design capacity is 3 billion m³, but it is currently limited to 1.5 billion m³ due to its technical condition.
The Deputy Prime Minister paid special attention to providing the region’s residents with drinking water. One of the first villages he visited was Shornak in the Sauyran district, where there were issues with water supply. According to the local administration, by the end of this year, 807 towns and villages in the region will have 100 percent access to drinking water.
Bozumbayev then met with farmers from the south, visited major enterprises in the “Turkestan” agricultural production cooperative, and met with agricultural producers in the Arys and Ordabasy districts. The regional administration was given a number of instructions to support domestic producers, including completing the screening of all districts in the first quarter and identifying potential for creating compact industrial zones with necessary infrastructure. Turkestan will later share this experience with other regions.
In total, 27 projects aimed at modernizing hydraulic structures are underway in Kazakhstan's Turkestan, with a total value of 134.8 billion tenge (256.12 million). These include the construction of new and the reconstruction of existing reservoirs, as well as the reconstruction of irrigation networks.