ASTANA – The volume of water in the Northern Aral Sea increased by 42%, reaching 27 billion cubic meters, following the results of the first phase of the project to preserve the Northern Aral Sea, said Kazakh Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Nurzhan Nurzhigitov during the meeting with the public in the Aral district of the Kyzylorda Region.
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The project, supported by the World Bank, focuses on three primary areas: increasing the volume and efficiency of water accumulation in the Northern Aral Sea, improving water resource management, developing fisheries and ecotourism, and improving the region’s ecological status.
The results of the first phrase indicate the salinity of the water decreased almost four times, and the annual volume of fisheries increased to 8,000 tons, reported the ministry’s press service on Jan. 13.
Last year, the ministry released approximately 2.6 billion cubic meters of water into the Aral Sea. During the irrigation period, a record one billion cubic meters of water was supplied. This became possible due to the effective distribution and conservation of water from the Syr Darya River. In comparison, in 2022, only 816 million cubic meters of water entered the Aral Sea.
“These figures are the result of two years of systematic work. We have reached mutual understanding with neighboring countries on the protection and equitable sharing of water resources in transboundary rivers,” said the minister.
“We will continue negotiating and making every effort to maintain a stable level of important reservoirs. The Aral Sea restoration project aims, first of all, to improve the environmental situation in the region, develop fisheries and tourism, and improve the well-being of the population,” he added.
The government of Kazakhstan and the World Bank are advancing the second phase of the project.
