ASTANA, Kazakhstan, February 10. As much as 1 bcm of water was diverted to the Northern Aral Sea from October 2024 through January 2025, which is 100 million cubic meters more than the originally planned volume, Trend reports via the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
"However, due to agreements reached with the Central Asian countries, by the end of March 2025, a total of 1.6 bcm of water will be directed to the North Aral. Currently, the total volume of water in the North Aral Sea is 22.1 bcm. At the beginning of 2022, it was 18.9 bcm. It is expected that by the end of 2025, the water volume in the sea will increase to 23.4 bcm," the information notes.
The area of the North Aral Sea continues to increase. As of today, it covers 3,065 square kilometers. This is 111 square kilometers more than at the beginning of 2022.
The increase in the volume and area of the North Aral Sea has helped reduce water salinity and restore the population of 22 species of fish. The annual fish catch has reached 8,000 tons.
Reclamation work continues in the Aral Sea basin, including afforestation. A total of 4.4 million seedlings have been planted in the dried-out territory of the Greater Aral Sea.
To note, on January 1, 2024, the chairmanship of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFSA) passed to the Republic of Kazakhstan. The President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, was elected President of IFSA until the end of 2026. A work plan for the IFSA Executive Committee for Kazakhstan’s chairmanship in 2024-2026 has been approved. The document covers about 40 activities across 10 different areas.