The Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation of Kazakhstan, Nurzhan Nurzhigitov, at the government hour in the Mazhilis on May 12, 2025, spoke about what is being done to effectively manage water resources in the country.
The speaker noted that in 2025 it is planned to implement 138 projects in the water supply sector in the amount of 184 billion tenge. Of these, 31 – for the construction and reconstruction of water supply facilities in the Akmola, Atyrau, Almaty, Kyzylorda, Turkestan, West Kazakhstan, North Kazakhstan, Mangistau regions and the Ulytau region. In 2025, 71 billion tenge were allocated for these purposes.
«As a result of the implementation of these projects, it is planned to build more than 2.5 thousand km of water pipelines, which will provide water supply to 468 settlements with a total population of about 1.3 million people. Along with this, design estimates and feasibility studies are being developed for 214 projects. All projects involve efficient use of water resources and include elements of automation. Completion of the development of most of the projects is planned for this year», – Nurzhigitov explained.
In parallel, according to the minister, work is underway to attract investors to implement projects.
«Today there is approval from the board of directors of the Islamic Development Bank for a loan and grant totaling $2.7 billion. The project is planned to be implemented in two stages. As part of the loan, construction of four reservoirs will begin in 2025. Three of them – Akmola, Kalguty and Karauzyak, located in the south, should cover the water shortage during the growing season on the newly introduced irrigation area of 22.5 thousand hectares. The fourth reservoir on the Bolshoy Uzen River (28 million m³) in the West Kazakhstan region is focused on retaining flood and melt water and eliminating the threat of flooding in two settlements of the Kaztalovsky district (about 5 thousand people)», he said.
The second stage of the loan, planned from 2027, includes 25 projects, including the construction of 13 and the reconstruction of 11 reservoirs.
«The Ministry is also working to attract grant funds to water management projects. Since its formation, the ministry has attracted more than $12 million in grants to the water industry. Examples of this work include a grant of 1.35 million euros provided by the French Development Agency (AFD) to develop a master plan for Lake Balkhash. Along with this, the corporation «Kazakhmys» has allocated $5 million to preserve the ecological system of Lake Balkhash», – added the head of the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation.
There is, according to him, also an agreement on the provision of about $2 million by the Japanese government to implement a project to improve flood control measures through integrated dam management in Kazakhstan, an agreement with the Islamic Development Bank on technical assistance in the amount of $3.5 million for study, assessment of water/river basin problems for KazNIIVH, technical equipment of the RSE «Kazvodkhoz» and assessment of the implementation of early response systems for the information and analytical center.
«In order to provide drinking water supply to the population of five districts of the Turkestan region (Saryagash, Keles, Kazygurt, Zhetysai and Maktaaral), on March 11 of this year, the ministry signed an investment agreement with South Hydro Power LLP on the implementation of a project for the construction of a group water pipeline with a cascade of hydroelectric power stations on the Ugam River. The cost of the project is 190 billion tenge (according to the feasibility study). The implementation of the project will create more than 600 jobs. The project provides for the construction of a 12 km long tunnel and the construction of a 40 km long water pipeline with a storage tank and a treatment plant in the village of Zhanabazar, as well as a cascade of five hydroelectric power stations», – the minister concluded.
The production capacity of the project – 110 million m³/year of drinking water and 72 MWh of electricity, which will partially cover the shortage of energy capacity in the region.
On May 9, 2025, it was reported that a multifactor survey of 134 hydraulic structures was being carried out in Kazakhstan. According to the press service of the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, a total of 557 structures are planned to be inspected by the end of 2028.
Oksana Dairova (Zakon.kz)
