Large-scale work has been launched in Kazakhstan on mechanized cleaning of irrigation canals, the total length of which exceeds two thousand kilometers. This measure, undertaken by the enterprise «Kazvodkhoz» under the auspices of the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, covers seven key agricultural areas of the country and is aimed at preparing for the busy irrigation season. Intervention in a hydrological system of this scale highlights the deep dependence of modern agriculture on artificial irrigation and the constant modification of waterways.
Engineering work is being carried out in the Almaty, West Kazakhstan, East Kazakhstan, Zhambyl, Kyzylorda, Turkestan regions and the Zhetisu region. At the moment, it is reported that the cleaning of more than three hundred kilometers of canals has been completed, which is only a part of the planned volume. This activity is necessary to maintain the capacity of artificial waterways, which are critical for delivering water to farms.
Official Purpose of Cleaning – Improvement of Water Supply for Farmers. This year, the branches «of Kazvodkhoz» intend to distribute a colossal volume of water – 12.7 billion cubic meters, concluding over 27.8 thousand contracts for this. Almost twelve thousand agreements have already been signed. These figures, which are higher than last year, when 23,830 treaties were concluded, indicate the growing water resource needs of agriculture, which inevitably increases the pressure on river ecosystems and the water balance of the region.
«Last year, the ministry managed to meet the irrigation water needs of farmers in southern Kazakhstan. This year, the department has already held negotiations with the countries of Central Asia, as a result of which 3.7 billion cubic meters of water will flow to Kazakhstan via the Syrdarya River during the irrigation period of 2025. More than 600 million cubic meters of water will flow through the Shu and Talas rivers», – said Vice Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation of the Republic of Kazakhstan Erbolat Ibraikhanov.
The success of the future irrigation season thus directly depends not only on the state of the infrastructure, but also on complex water diplomacy and the state of transboundary rivers experiencing significant anthropogenic pressure.
Alexander Eskendirov (Rivers.Help!)
