BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 26. A new reservoir with a capacity of 28.4 million cubic meters will be built on the Bolshoy Uzen River in the West Kazakhstan region, Kazakhstan’s Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Nurlan Nurgizhitov said during a meeting with residents of the West Kazakhstan region in Uralsk on September 25.
According to the ministry’s press service, during the meeting Nurgizhitov spoke about ongoing work to develop the region’s water sector.
The project is being implemented in the Kaztalovsky district with support from the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB). The reservoir will provide irrigation for 12,000 hectares of floodplain lands, with the potential to expand the irrigated area to 20,000 hectares.
During the meeting, it was noted that with IsDB support, Kazakhstan also plans to reconstruct the Bitik reservoir and four main canals in the region. These projects will improve water supply to about 28,500 hectares of land.
All projects will include elements of automated water accounting, according to the ministry.
“Addressing water-related issues requires joint efforts by central and local executive bodies, water management organizations and water users. The projects being implemented in the West Kazakhstan region are aimed at ensuring stable water supplies, reducing water losses, improving the efficiency of agricultural irrigation and protecting settlements from floods,” Nurgizhitov said.
