ASTANA, Kazakhstan, January 13. Kazakhstan plans to establish a working group to combat illegal use of water resources, Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Nurzhan Nurzhigitov said at a government meeting, Trend reports via the government.
The minister provided an update on ongoing initiatives to implement water-saving technologies within the agricultural sector, emphasizing that the primary focus in this area is the transition to modern, efficient irrigation practices.
“This priority became particularly evident during the 2025 vegetation period, which occurred under drought conditions and placed significant strain on the water management system. Despite these challenges, the irrigation season was completed successfully, without critical losses to the agricultural sector, thanks to timely management decisions and effective coordination at the regional level,” Nurzhigitov stated.
According to the ministry, in 2025, a total of 11.1 cubic kilometers of water were allocated to irrigate 1.2 million hectares of agricultural land.
One of the key factors that mitigated the difficult conditions during the irrigation season was the adoption of water-saving technologies. In 2025, these technologies were utilized on 153,500 hectares of land.
At the same time, Nurzhigitov announced that the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation will prepare updated water use limits in February 2026, accounting for the most pessimistic water inflow scenario, while the Ministry of Agriculture will revise the crop structure in March 2026.
In addition, combating illegal use of water resources remains an important priority, the minister noted. Together with the General Prosecutor’s Office, an action plan has been developed, which provides for the establishment of a republican interagency working group involving law enforcement and other state bodies to effectively address water theft and illegal water use.