The Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation of the Republic of Kazakhstan, by order of June 27, 2025, approved the Rules for conducting a multifactor inspection of hydraulic structures and forms for declaring their safety, which came into force on July 4, Zakon.kz reports.

For hydraulic structures (HTS) that pose an increased danger in natural and man-made emergencies, defined in the regulations on the safety of HTS, a technical condition survey is carried out as part of a multifactor survey.

A multifactorial survey is carried out every five years. The report of the five-year period begins on the date of registration of the previous declaration.

To conduct a multifactor survey, the owner determines the safety criteria for hydraulic structures and annually monitors their compliance.

Based on the results of a multifactor survey of the gas transportation system, a gas transportation system safety declaration is developed.

Conducting a multifactor survey and developing a declaration is carried out by the owner (owner) independently or at the expense of his funds by a third-party organization certified by the authorized body in the field of protection and use of the water fund for the right to carry out work in the field of gas transportation system safety.

Moreover, in the case of conducting a multifactor survey and developing a declaration by the owner (owner) independently, the results of the multifactor survey and the declaration are subject to examination by an organization certified for the right to carry out work in the field of gas transportation system safety, at the expense of the owner.

In the case of a multifactor survey and the development of a declaration by a certified organization, the examination of the work performed and the declaration are carried out by another certified organization.

The declaration is subject to registration with the basin water inspectorate in the field of protection and regulation of the use of water resources.

To assign a registration code to the declaration, the applicant submits to the basin water inspectorate an application and a copy of the declaration along with a copy of the expert opinion.

The Basin Water Inspectorate, having examined the submitted documents, makes a decision to register the declaration or submits a reasoned refusal.

A copy of the registered declaration is kept by the basin water inspectorate.

The list of gas transportation systems and organizations that have registered declarations is posted on the Internet resource of the authorized body.

Multifactor inspection of hydraulic structures includes a visual inspection and a set of engineering studies.

The main task visual inspection The hydraulic structure is to identify defects and damage to structures, malfunctions of structures and mechanical equipment, abnormally large settlements, deformations, movements, zones and areas of destruction of the material of structural elements, open outlets of the filtration flow, as well as assess the condition of the installed control and measuring equipment (CIA), assess the effectiveness of the repair measures performed.

Visual inspection of the mechanical equipment of the hydraulic structure determines mechanical and corrosion damage to traction ropes, chains, supporting structures, skins, running and other mechanisms, load-bearing metal structures, the condition of concrete in the places where the embedded parts and supports of the spans of crane tracks are secured, and the quality of valve seals.

In turn complex of engineering research consists of geodetic, geophysical, geotechnical and underwater research.

The main objective of the geodetic study is to check the provision of the geodetic network, the presence and condition of surface and soil marks, conduct high-resolution executive surveys of objects and adjacent territories, as well as analyze the stability of benchmarks and marks over time, taking into account possible tectonic and seasonal displacements.

The main task of geophysical and geotechnical research is to obtain quantitative data on the condition of the structure: deformations, strength, cracking and humidity. In the case of underground or mountain conditions, additional geomechanical studies of the stability of the surrounding massif are carried out.

The main task of underwater research is to check the condition of the underwater part of the upper and lower pools of the structure and adjacent sections of the bottom. Inspection of the underwater part of the hydraulic structure is carried out during the period of least water standing. The presence of signs of gullies, erosion craters, and secondary currents affecting the stability of the base of the structure is also clarified.

The document also contains a List of objects of visual inspection and damage, defects and data identified and recorded during a multifactor inspection of hydraulic structures.

Thus, on a gas transportation system that has concrete and soil dams, a hydroelectric power station building, shipping locks and spillway structures as part of the pressure front, the following are included in the number of visual inspection objects

• crest, berms, escarpments (edges) of dams;
• drainage devices;
• spillway surfaces of spillway structures;
• the downstream structural components of these structures, including the water well and walls, energy dampers, risberm and ladle (within the limits available for inspection);
• turbine penstocks, including anchor supports;
• equalization tanks;
• steers, separate walls, abutments, retaining walls;
• areas where concrete structures adjoin ground structures and banks;
• galleries located in the banks, in the body and base of the dam;
• inlet and outlet channels;
• underground structures and workings;
• sections of coastal slopes and territories adjacent to the downstream slope (face) of the dam, the hydroelectric power station building, downstream tunnel portals, and shipping facilities;
• abrasive zones of banks in the upper and lower pools within 500 meters from coastal junctions;
• anti-wave and other escarpment anchorages;
• conducting hydrographic surveys of the coastal and underwater parts of structures (if there is a reservoir), including a depth map, bottom topography, siltation zones and potential areas for erosion of the dam base;
• mechanical equipment of the hydraulic structure;
• assessment of the technical condition of elements of spillway structures using unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) (hereinafter –UAVs) and laser scanning for hard-to-reach areas.

In the concrete parts of the GTS (dams, retaining walls), visual inspection reveals and records the following main types of damage to the concrete masonry:

• corrosion of concrete caused by contact with an aggressive environment or water filtration;
• the presence of through cracks in the concrete masonry, which are centers of concentrated filtration;
• intensive leaching of concrete (washing lime out of it with filtered water);
• corrosion of concrete of surface parts of structures due to temperature influences during winter (freezing-thawing) and summer (heating-cooling) periods, including exposure to solar radiation;
• corrosion of water-saturated concrete in a zone of variable water level due to alternate freezing and thawing in winter;
• destruction of the concrete of culverts due to cavitation or water-abrasive wear;
• mechanical damage to concrete masonry (chipped corners of elements, crushing of concrete in individual zones, cracks, peeling);
• irreversible opening of seams due to temperature and other influences (base subsidence, earthquake);
• cracks caused by force loads, uneven precipitation or temperature effects;
• if available — inspection of shrink and process seams to ensure their tightness, as well as monitoring the condition of sealing materials;
• cracks caused by the reaction of cement alkalis with aggregates containing active silica;
• introduction of photographic recording of repeated cracks with reference to geodetic marks to analyze the dynamics of their development.

In reinforced concrete and steel-reinforced concrete structures of the hydraulic structure, the following damage is additionally detected and recorded:

• vertical, horizontal and inclined cracks in the stretched zone of the element with an opening value greater than that allowed by the standards;
• cracks along the compressed zone of the element, including in the ridge of gable beams;
• loss of protective properties of concrete in relation to reinforcement (carbonization of concrete to the entire thickness of the protective layer, leaching of concrete);
• cracks in the concrete protective layer along the reinforcement bars and detachment of the concrete protective layer;
• if cladding is present — concrete base adhesion analysis, especially in areas with constant moisture;
• corrosion of fittings;
• mechanical damage to fittings;
• monitoring using non-destructive methods (ultrasound, magnetic testing) of the condition of reinforcement outlets in high-load zones;
• damage to the steel cladding (corrosion of metal and seams, cracks, reduction in thickness due to abrasion, contact with the surrounding reinforced concrete mass).

The full list can be viewed at the link.

The order came into force on July 4.