Kazakhstan is making progress with the restoration of the North Aral Sea, an ambitious project initiated in response to the catastrophic shrinkage of the Aral Sea. During the next 4-5 years, the water volume in the North Aral is to be increased to 34 cubic kilometers and its area expanded to 3,913 square kilometers, Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Nurzhan Nurzhigitov announced, according to the Ministry of Water Resources.
The North Aral Sea is the portion of the former Aral Sea fed by the Syr Darya River, split from the South Aral Sea in the late 1980s when water levels dropped due to water diversion for agricultural use.
According to Nurzhigitov, Kazakhstan has signed an agreement with upstream Uzbekistan to ensure a stable water flow along the Syr Darya River even during low-water periods.
Over the past three years, more than 6 billion cubic meters of water have been sent to the North Aral. As a result, its volume has increased from 18.4 billion cubic meters at the beginning of 2023 to 23 billion cubic meters today.
The second phase of the North Aral restoration project is nearing completion. It includes the reconstruction of the Kokaral Dam and raising the water level to 44 meters.
To reduce water diversion for farmland irrigation, irrigation systems are being modernized in the Turkestan and Kyzylorda regions, which heavily depend on water from the Syr Darya. The introduction of water-saving irrigation technologies on 143,100 hectares has already saved approximately 500 million cubic meters of water.
“The conservation and restoration of the North Aral Sea remains not only an environmental but also a social and strategic objective. Redirecting some of the saved water resources to maintaining ecosystems is a contribution to the region’s sustainability, the health of the population, and the future of generations to come,” Nurzhigitov emphasized.
