The official representative of the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, Moldir Abdyalieva, announced on April 25th that the water level in Lake Balkhash has increased by 15 cm since the beginning of the year. Previously at 159 cm on January 1st, the level has now reached 174 cm.
Abdyalieva highlighted that a significant volume of water has flowed into Lake Balkhash through the transboundary Ili River this year. This inflow allowed for over 2 billion cubic meters of water to be directed from the Kapchagay Reservoir to Lake Balkhash. Additionally, the West Kazakhstan branch of Kazvodkhoz redirected 30 million cubic meters of floodwater from Russia to the Kamysh-Samarskie Lakes in the region.
Moreover, efforts are underway to redirect floodwater to natural lakes such as Edilsor, Zhaltyrkol, Birkazan, Sorkol, and Saltanat, which have been facing drying up in recent years. The West Kazakhstan branch of Kazvodkhoz is also preparing to launch the Janibek pumping station to transfer water from the Volgograd region of Russia to nine rural districts in the region.
Furthermore, maintenance work has been carried out on 30 hydro posts, including the one at the Kurtinsk Reservoir, by the Kazvodkhoz branch of the Big Almaty Canal named after D. Konaev in preparation for the irrigation season. In Pavlodar region, water releases continue into the Shidertin liman irrigation system, covering 11.5 thousand hectares of limans.
To improve water supply to agricultural lands, the Kazvodkhoz branch in the Turkestan region conducted mechanical cleaning of over 15 thousand cubic meters of the intergovernmental canal "Khanym." This resulted in the removal of more than 17 thousand cubic meters of silt from the canal. Additionally, the Turkestan branch has concreted 6 kilometers of the Naiman canal.
The initiatives undertaken by Kazakh authorities aim to enhance water resources management, protect against floods, and support agricultural activities, signaling positive developments for the region's ecosystems.
