Kazakhstan is a Central Asian country that emerged from the collapse of the Soviet Union, gaining independence in 1991. Over 3 decades since its founding, the country has seen very substantial economic growth, with its economy now roughly two and a half times larger than it was at its creation. Kazakhstan is currently considered the major economy in Central Asia. The country’s economic system has co-existed with a political structure that has remained strongly autocratic. As the nation commemorates its independence, the government focus is directed towards securing long term sustainability. Among the key development priorities, the Water security is a defining one and it demands attention.
Water Security: A Defining Challenge
In Central Asia and particularly in Kazakhstan, water security is an increasingly strained development challenge, compounded by climate change, outdated infrastructure and competing demand for agriculture and industry. Water cannot be managed in isolation; it must be viewed as an interconnected system where governance, technology, economy and ecological resilience align.
Kazakhstan’s water issues interact with economic, ecological and social dimensions.
Kazakhstan has experienced both devastating floods and prolonged droughts in recent years, demonstrating the challenges of ineffective water management. The summer of 2021 brought one of the worst droughts in decades, leading to agricultural losses and alarming levels of livestock mortality, ultimately affecting the population. Also, the floods in 2024 forced the evacuation of over 96,000 people across the country, causing damage estimated at over $450 million.
Globally, 90% of natural disasters are water-related. These events signal deeper vulnerabilities in water governance and climate adaptation. Furthermore, Kazakhstan’s water sources are heavily dependent on the glacier-fed rivers from the Tien Shan mountains. Glaciers in this region have already lost about 30% of their mass and are projected to retreat more by 2050. Climate change is likely to increase future water scarcity.
Institutional and Legal Reforms for Water Governance
Kazakhstan stands at a pivotal moment in its water governance journey and is making significant efforts in reforming its management system. The path forward involves embracing a system that integrates multiple pillars.
The government has launched initiatives to strengthen the monitoring and forecasting system and modernize the dam infrastructure. Although the gap remains in early warning systems and coordination. The transition to a governance system based on Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) is ongoing, but integration is lacking due to institutional weakness, structural, and political constraints.
To address fragmented governance, which can be a key obstacle to effective water management, the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation has been supported in creating a Coordination Council of Partners for Water Sector Development. This council is designed to foster cooperation, streamline decision-making, and ensure that all partners work towards a coherent national strategy.
Crucially, a new Water Code was drafted and introduced in 2024, marking a transformative shift in water policies. The core focus of this new legislation is the emphatic prioritization of water security and ecological preservation. The code formally recognizes water as the basis of life and economic development. For the first time, this code formalizes concepts like ecological runoff, which safeguards ecosystems by mandating the maintenance of minimum water levels in rivers, lakes, and seas. This legal change is essential for building a resilient, adaptive and sustainable water management system.
Modernization of Infrastructure and Digitalization
The government’s efforts have centered on upgrading water supply and sanitation infrastructure, constructing new reservoirs and automating irrigation systems. A comprehensive program has been launched to build 20 new reservoirs, reconstruct 15 existing ones and rehabilitate 14,000 kilometers of irrigation channels.
By the end of 2024, access to clean drinking water had reached 99.5% in urban areas and 97.8% in rural settlements.
Digitalization is a cornerstone of the reforms, with the goal of launching the National Water Resources Information System by 2025 to offer real-time monitoring of reservoirs and advanced flood and drought forecasts. Additionally, the system for flood management is currently under development to enhance emergency preparedness through data-driven flood prediction and modeling.
Nearly 60% of Kazakhstan’s water resources are used for agriculture, making it one of the most water-intensive countries in Central Asia. Poor irrigation productivity, at less than US$0.5 per cubic meter of water used for irrigation, translates into huge missed economic opportunities. Kazakhstan is expanding its irrigated agricultural land and supporting this growth by adopting advanced irrigation methods such as drip irrigation and sprinkler systems, which can reduce water consumption by up to 50% while nearly doubling crop yields. The government has also introduced a policy on Water Resources Management (2023–2029) that aims to reduce agricultural water loss through main canals from 20% to 15% by 2029.
The Role of Water Diplomacy and Innovative Financing
Given that 44.3% of Kazakhstan’s surface water comes from transboundary rivers flowing from China, Uzbekistan, Russia and the Kyrgyz Republic, the country has strengthened its role in water diplomacy. Effective use of these water resources requires regional cooperation, which is challenging due to differing national interests.
Kazakhstan has secured equitable water allocations with its neighbors, securing 2.03 km³/year from Kyrgyzstan for the Chu-Talas Basin and 10 km³/year from Uzbekistan for the Aral-Syr Darya Basin. To address the significant financial burden of building and maintaining water infrastructure, Kazakhstan has the opportunity to tap into innovative financial instruments. These include financial instruments such as blue bonds, which support sustainable water projects and catastrophe bonds, which provide payouts in the event of extreme floods, mobilizing capital for essential infrastructure upgrades.
Water security is deeply intertwined with climate adaptation and biodiversity conservation, as degraded ecosystems exacerbate water scarcity and increase flood risks. Protecting landscapes such as forests and mountain ecosystems is crucial, as they play a key role in regulating water cycles by storing precipitation, replenishing groundwater and reducing erosion. The national reforestation program, which aims to restore over 1.5 million hectares of degraded land by 2030, is expected to enhance groundwater recharge, improve soil moisture retention and mitigate flood risks.
The country is at a pivotal moment in its water governance journey and by embracing a systems approach that integrates governance, technology and nature-based solutions, Kazakhstan can chart a course toward a water-secure future. This process requires political commitment, public engagement and sustained investment to move beyond reactive measures.
Tayyaba Arif is a student of International Relations, and takes keen interest in conflict reporting and the dynamics of regional and global affairs. She is especially committed to SDG 17, and believes in effective partnerships and promoting cooperative initiatives. She can be reached at tayyabarrif0@gmail.com
