Astana (TDI): The five districts in Kazakhstan’s southern Zhambyl region Kordai, Zhambyl, Merke, Baizak and Talas were fully supplied this year with irrigation water from the transboundary Shu and Talas rivers, which flow from neighboring Kyrgyzstan.
It was announced by Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation.
In April, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan agreed on a joint water intake schedule for the irrigation season 2024.
As part of this deal, Kazakhstan received 418 million cubic meters of water from the Talas River, exceeding the scheduled 380 million cubic meters and surpassing allocation by 94.2 million cubic meters in 2023.
Moreover, along the Shu River, Kazakhstan was allocated 165.3 million cubic meters, 29.7 million cubic meters more than in 2023.
“Zhambyl region’s farmers were fully provided with irrigation water according to their requirments,” Kairat Amanov, director of the Zhambyl branch of Kazvodkhoz said.
In total, 533.3 million cubic meters of water were provided, irrigating 90,100 hectares of farmland.
Kazvodkhoz, a division of Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, is responsible for managing the country’s irrigation infrastructure, including canals and reservoirs.
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Kazakhstan’s agriculture, particularly in its arid southern regions, relies heavily on irrigation water from Kyrgyzstan.
Meanwhile, Kyrgyzstan faces its water management issues.
The water level of Lake Issyk-Kul, Kyrgyzstan’s largest lake, has been declining, partly because of the diversion of feeder rivers for local irrigation and to meet downstream agricultural requirements in Kazakhstan.
Although the Shu River does not directly provide water to Lake Issyk-Kul, it originates in the Issyk-Kul region and could have been utilized to irrigate nearby farmland.
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Instead, it plays an important role in supporting Kazakhstan’s Zhambyl region.
This allocation underlines Kyrgyzstan’s notable role in Central Asia’s water policies and its ongoing efforts to maintain cooperative relations with neighboring nations on key water and energy issues.
