As a result of unprecedented high levels of rainfall this spring, over 12 billion cubic meters of water has collected in Kazakhstan’s reservoirs, 2.5-fold more than last year.
In an announcement on 28 May, Minister of Water Resources, and Irrigation Nurzhan Nurzhigitov said that water accumulated through channelling flood water to estuaries, lakes and reservoirs which have experienced water shortages in previous years, will greatly benefit irrigation, and in turn, the economy.
Looking ahead, Nurzhigitov stated that the ministry is to develop a long-term strategy for flood water management and reducing the consequences of droughts. Plans include the development of an electronic map of the movement of flood waters to indicate populated areas most at risk, and a unified system for accounting, monitoring, and forecasting water resources.
The announcement follows a previous report that since the beginning of the year, the water level in Kazakhstan’s largest lake, Balkhash, fed by the transboundary Ili River that originates in China, has risen by 23 cm.
