ASTANA, Kazakhstan, January 21. The volume of the North Aral Sea is planned to be increased to 34 km³, with its area expanding to 3,913 km² within 4-5 years, Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation of Kazakhstan Nurzhan Nurzhigitov said at a government meeting, Trend reports via the press service of the Kazakh government.
According to the minister, an agreement has already been signed with Uzbekistan to ensure a stable water inflow even during low-water periods. Since early 2023, the North Aral Sea volume has increased from 18.4 billion m³ to 23 billion m³.
The second phase of the preservation project, including the reconstruction of the Kokaral dam and raising the water level to 44 meters, is nearing completion, the minister said.
He noted that parallel modernization of irrigation systems is underway, with 167 project-design documents being prepared for Turkmenistan and the Kyzylorda regions. Implementation of water-saving technologies on 143,100 hectares has already saved about 500 million m³ of water.
“Preserving and restoring the North Aral Sea is not only an ecological task but also a social and strategic one. Allocating part of the saved water resources to support ecosystems contributes to regional sustainability, public health, and the future of coming generations,” the minister emphasized.
The North Aral Sea is the northern part of the once larger Aral Sea, fed by the Syr Darya River. It separated from the South Aral Sea in 1987–1988 as water levels declined due to the diversion of river water for agricultural purposes.