ASTANA – The average annual river runoff in Kazakhstan has decreased by 12.5 cubic kilometers since 1960, said Kazakh Deputy Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Bolat Bekniyaz during a Sept. 30 meeting of the coordinating council of partners on the development of Kazakhstan’s water sector.
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According to Kazinform, 72% of this decline, or nine cubic kilometers, is attributed to local rivers, while transboundary rivers account for 3.5 cubic kilometers.
“The reduction in the local rivers’ runoff has been recorded in all basins except for the Balkhash-Alakol and Tobyl-Torgai basins,” said Bekniyaz.
Kazakhstan is heavily dependent on transboundary waters. The Aral-Syrdarya basin, which borders Uzbekistan, is in critical condition due to a decline in water level of 10.2 cubic kilometers, or 38%. The water volume in the Shu-Talas basin has decreased by 32% or 1.3 cubic kilometers.
“The most vulnerable basins are the Aral-Syrdarya, Shu-Talas and Zhaiyk-Caspian basins,” he said.
According to Bekniyaz, the ministry is taking several measures to prevent possible water scarcity, including the reconstruction of water infrastructure, the adoption of a new Water Code, the development of international cooperation, and the introduction of water-saving technologies.
