ASTANA, Kazakhstan, March 30. Kazakhstan’s Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov has called for the introduction of a unified digital system for monitoring and managing water resources in the Syr Darya and Amu Darya river basins, Trend reports via the press service of the Kazakh government.
The corresponding proposal was made by Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov during a meeting with members of the Board of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS). The meeting brought together senior representatives from Central Asian countries, including Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan, as well as Chairman of the IFAS Executive Committee Askhat Orazbay and Kazakh officials.
The parties discussed issues related to strengthening regional cooperation in the water sector, improving the efficiency of the fund’s activities, and preparations for the upcoming meeting of the Council of Heads of State—founders of IFAS—scheduled for April 22 in Astana.
Bektenov emphasized that the preservation of the Aral Sea and sustainable management of transboundary water resources remain among the priorities outlined by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
The sides also highlighted the importance of advancing digitalization in water accounting and management to ensure transparency and build trust among countries.
In addition, Kazakhstan proposed developing a Framework Convention on water use in Central Asia to establish agreed principles for the rational use of water resources, prevention of transboundary damage, and expansion of hydrological data exchange.
The International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS) is an intergovernmental organization established in 1993 by the Central Asian states to coordinate joint efforts in addressing the environmental and socio-economic consequences of the Aral Sea crisis. The fund serves as a key regional platform for cooperation on water management, ecological restoration, and sustainable development, supporting projects aimed at improving conditions in the Aral Sea basin and promoting coordinated use of transboundary water resources.
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