Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has signed the country’s new Water Code, aimed at more efficient use and protection of water resources. Developed by the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, the new code is based on five basic principles: The new code introduces the concept of “water security,” which guarantees the protection of citizens and
From October 2024 to April 1, 2025, Uzbekistan supplied 12.6 billion cubic meters of irrigation water to Kazakhstan, 1.7 billion cubic meters more than planned. Kazakhstan’s Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Nurzhan Nurzhigitov announced this at an international climate forum in Samarkand, Uzbekistan on April 5. According to the Kazakh Ministry of Water Resources
A Regional Workshop was recently held in Tashkent as part of Switzerland’s Blue Peace Central Asia (BPCA) initiative aimed at fostering cooperation among Central Asian countries in the water sector, according to the Swiss Embassy in Uzbekistan. The event brought together delegations from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, as well as representatives of international
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the European Union are helping to improve water conveyance infrastructure for better water resource management, promote sustainable agriculture and create new jobs in Kyrgyzstan by financing the reconstruction and automation of a section of the Western Great Chui Canal, the EBRD announced. A financial package of up
The Government of Japan and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Kazakhstan have signed an agreement to launch a new joint initiative worth $2 million to enhance flood resilience and strengthening dam safety in Kazakhstan. The new project will be implemented in partnership with the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation of Kazakhstan under
In 2025, Kazakhstan plans to build 1,953 km of irrigation canals to provide water to 256,000 hectares of farmland, Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Nurzhan Nurzhigitov announced at a government meeting on March 4. This year, as part of the first phase of the Water Resources Management Program for 2024-2030, the Ministry of Water
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) recently hosted the final event of the “Drops of the Future” workshop series. The event brought together young leaders, experts, and key stakeholders from Central Asia and beyond to explore collaborative and consensus-driven approaches to finding sustainable solutions for water, energy and food systems. The goal was
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $125 million loan to support the Government of Uzbekistan in modernizing water management, improving water security, and increasing access to safe and reliable water in the country. The Climate-Smart Water Management Improvement Project will improve asset management and sustainability of service delivery, while strengthening the institutional capacity of the
In 2024, 98.9% of all Kazakhstanis had access to centralized water supply services. Of them, 99.4% of urban and 97.8% of rural residents are provided with quality drinking water supply, according to the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation. In 2020, 93.8% of Kazakhstanis had access to drinking water supply, in 2021 – 95.6%, in
According to local executive bodies, in 2024 Kazakhstan introduced water-saving technologies on 158,000 hectares of agricultural land. Sprinkler irrigation systems were used on 56,000 hectares of farmland and drip irrigation systems on 44,000 hectares. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev earlier criticized the slow progress in adopting water-saving practices, citing annual water losses of up to 40% in
Kazakhstan will receive 16 billion cubic meters of water from Uzbekistan by October 1, 2025, 1 billion cubic meters more than during the previous water management year (October 2023 – October 2024). The agreement was reached on February 5 by Kazakhstan’s Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Nurzhan Nurzhigitov and Uzbekistan’s Minister of Water Resources
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has inaugurated a newly rehabilitated water supply system in Tajikistan’s Jomi District, bringing safe and reliable drinking water to 1,860 residents from 309 households. This is a part of the USAID Rural Water Supply activity, which is revitalizing water systems in 12 communities across Tajikistan through innovative public-private
Afghanistan’s National Development Company says that Phase 2 of the Qoshtepa Canal construction project is 81% complete, TOLOnews reported. Nabiullah Arghandiwal, spokesperson for the National Development Company, said: “The construction process is progressing rapidly with advanced machinery and work teams. The embankments of the canal are also 67% complete, and all work is being carried
On December 3, during the One Water Summit in Riyadh, the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation of Kazakhstan and the World Bank signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at enhancing water resource management and promoting environmental sustainability. This MoU, signed following the meeting between President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and World Bank Group
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) says it is helping to improve water security and ensure a sustainable water supply in the Kyrgyz Republic by providing up to €17 million for infrastructure upgrades in the north of the country. The financial package consists of a Bank loan of up to €7.6 million and a similar-sized
The parties signed the relevant agreement at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP29) held in Baku. Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Economy Nurlan Baybazarov noted that this is the largest project financed by the Islamic Development Bank in its history, the press service of the Kazakh Government reported. In addition, the Islamic Development
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), in collaboration with the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), successfully organized the second and third editions of the “Drops of the Future” youth workshop series on the Water-Energy-Food (WEF) Nexus. The workshops were held on 6-7 September in Almaty, Kazakhstan, and 19-20 September in Tashkent,
The first meeting of the newly-established Coordination Council of Partners for the Development of the Water Sector took place in Astana on September 30. The meeting was organized by the Kazakh Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The meeting gathered representatives from the UN, international organizations,
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) says it has approved $32.35 million of additional financing for a rural water supply and sanitation development program in northern Kyrgyzstan that is already performing well. The additional financing will empower the government to continue rolling out its water program under the Kyrgyz Republic’s National Development Strategy, 2018–2040—which aims to
On September 19, the United States Government officially launched the reconstructed water supply system in Palos municipality in Tajikistan’s Buston city. This project, part of USAID’s Rural Water Supply (RWS) Activity, aims to provide safe drinking water to underserved communities across Tajikistan, the U.S. Embassy in Tajikistan reported. Previously, only 50% of Palos municipality’s 4,500
