ASTANA – Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister Kanat Bozumbayev emphasized the need for concrete steps to address water issues at the third high-level international conference on the International Decade for Action “Water for Sustainable Development” 2018-2028, held on June 10-13 in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, reported the Prime Minister’s press service.
Photo credit: primeminister.kz
The Dushanbe Water Process serves as a platform for developing new solutions to global water problems related to climate change, shared water management, and the implementation of intergovernmental agreements.
Bozumbayev affirmed Kazakhstan’s full support for global initiatives to overcome the consequences of climate change and Tajikistan’s efforts to bring international attention to the rational use of water resources.
Presently, Kazakhstan’s water policy aims to modernize and develop water infrastructure, improve information systems and regulatory frameworks, and strengthen transboundary cooperation.
Necessitating a strategic approach to transboundary water management in Central Asia, Bozumbayev said that climate change impacts on water resources transcend borders, and responses to climate change and water shortages require cooperation between all countries and the mobilization of all possible forces and means.
“Kazakhstan is a country that shares nearly half of its hydro resources with its neighbors. And for us, cooperation on transboundary watercourses is important in the context of ensuring effective water management and protection of ecosystems,” he stated.
The Deputy Prime Minister expressed concern about the environmental situation in the Aral Sea, where the formation of 5.5 million hectares of deserts negatively impacts human health and regional ecosystems.
“In this regard, it is important to preserve and restore natural water bodies by implementing such effective measures as preserving the Kokaral dam and restoring the Delta of the Syr Darya River,” he said.
