Kazakhstan is set to receive 11bn cubic meters of water from the Syr Darya river by April 2025, following key agreements made at the 87th meeting of the Interstate Commission for Water Coordination (ICWC). The agreements were brokered by Kazakhstan’s Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, Nurzhan Nurzhigitov, who represented the country’s interests at the meeting held in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.
The meeting brought together water management officials from Central Asia, with representatives from Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan in attendance. Kyrgyzstan participated as an observer.
This agreement ensures that the Shardara Reservoir in southern Kazakhstan will receive 11bn cubic meters of water by April 1, 2025. This volume will help to meet the water requirements for the upcoming 2025 irrigation season in the region.
The participants also approved operational schedules for reservoirs in the Syr Darya and Amu Darya river basins and established water supply limits for the autumn-winter period of 2024-2025 across Central Asia.
“Thanks to negotiations and joint actions, we have ensured the effective distribution of water in the Syr Darya River basin. The agreements reached during the 86th meeting were successfully implemented, including those concerning water and energy cooperation with Kyrgyzstan and measures for coordinating the Bakhri-Tojik reservoir’s operations during this year’s irrigation period,” Minister Nurzhigitov highlighted the significance of the agreement.
The next ICWC meeting is scheduled for the first quarter of 2025 in Dushanbe, where further discussions on water management and cooperation in the region will continue.
