At a Government session on December 9 chaired by Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Olzhas Bektenov, the current water management situation was reviewed. Deputy Prime Minister Kanat Bozumbayev reported on the risks of the upcoming growing season and the preventive measures to ensure irrigation water supply for farmers.
He reported on the results of working trips to the Kyzylorda, Turkistan, and Zhambyl regions. Monitoring shows that a low-water cycle continues in these three southern regions.
A 43% decrease in water inflow into the Shardara reservoir has been recorded. The total volume of water in the major reservoirs of the Naryn–Syrdarya river system is now 3.8 billion cubic meters less compared to last year. In the Zhambyl region, reservoir filling levels are at a critical 41%.
The forecasted inflow for the 2026 growing season is estimated at only 1–1.5 billion cubic meters. This creates a risk of an irrigation water deficit of up to 1 billion cubic meters.
To minimize the consequences, the Government is shifting to strict planning. The Ministry of Agriculture, together with the Ministry of Water Resources, has been instructed to determine water use limits within two weeks. If the situation worsens, the limits will be revised under a pessimistic scenario by February 1.
Special attention is being paid to the introduction of new technologies.
“State support has been significantly strengthened. Positive dynamics in water conservation are maintained: the area using water-saving technologies has exceeded 543.5 thousand hectares, with an annual increase of about 150 thousand hectares. Regional administrations should conduct outreach among farmers before the start of the growing season on the need to reduce water-intensive crops and switch to less water-consuming ones,” the Deputy Prime Minister emphasized.
photo: primeminister.kz
