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Kazakhstan: Floods Still a Threat, but Some Residents Returning Home as Waters Ebb

For weeks, it’s been a frantic grind of evacuations, pumping water and shoring up dams as Kazakhstan battles widespread floods. While the threat remains, water levels are declining in some areas and the country is working to help disaster victims in the long term. Some 22,700 people who fled their homes to escape floodwaters have returned, and the flood situation has stabilized in some hard-hit places such as Aktobe, according to the government. Still, thousands, many of them children, remain in evacuation centers, whilst others are in temporary housing. More than 100,000 people have been evacuated over the course of the crisis, which began in March as snow melted in the warmer weather. There is uncertainty about when Kazakhstan can fully shift from an emergency response to rebuilding. Water levels continue to be monitored closely, including on the Zhaiyk River, also known as the Ural. Television and radio reports are providing updates every few hours. The river’s water level has been described as exceeding a “critical level,” though authorities believe there is no danger to the adjacent city of Uralsk. The city is in West Kazakhstan and on the border with Russia, also hit by floods. In East Kazakhstan, the flood situation is considered stable. Providing hot meals and leisure activities for children are among the daily tasks for teams taking care of evacuated residents. But a volunteer network is looking ahead, launching a campaign to offer free legal services for flood victims. Some people are filing claims for financial compensation for their losses. Many are farmers who lost livestock. Transportation links were cut and truckers couldn’t reach their destinations. Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Industry and Construction has been developing a plan to help people affected by the floods, and it’s already being implemented in some areas. If a damaged house cannot be restored, its owner can choose – with state support - between building a new house or buying completed real estate. The building of houses has already begun in the Aktobe area. Apartments for 27 victims were bought in the city of Arkalyk, in the Kostanay region. New housing has also been provided in several other regions. “This work will continue until every victim is provided with housing,” said Minister of Industry and Construction, Kanat Sharlapaev. For all the efforts of the government and society right now, Kazakhstan could experience more seasons of catastrophic flooding. Some scientists suggest climate change intensified this year’s disaster. According to one analyst, uncontrolled construction and other official negligence have only exacerbated the threat.

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No Lessons Being Learned From Kazakh Floods, Says Political Analyst

Kazakhstan has been prone to flooding before, but the 2024 Kazakh floods have added a catastrophic page to the chronicles. Political analyst Marat Shibutov tells The Times of Central Asia that only extremely tough measures can motivate ministers and akims (local government executive) to actually work on flood prevention. The Floods Have Not Yet Peaked Areas and homes in many regions of Kazakhstan -- Atyrau, West Kazakhstan, Aktobe, Akmola, Kostanay, East Kazakhstan, North Kazakhstan and Pavlodar -- remain flooded. According to the Ministry of Emergency Situations, more than 113,000 people have been evacuated from the various disaster zones. The threat of another destructive wave of surface water still remains for major cities, even high-rise buildings are battling high in water in Atyrau, Petropavlovsk and Kostanay. Kazakh president Kasym-Jomart Tokayev has already visited the affected regions several times. According to local reports, people are now concerned not with punishing those responsible, but with paying fair compensation for lost housing, farms and livestock, and, most importantly, with creating an effective flood control system. In particular, residents of dacha (detached suburban) houses in Uralsk blocked the highway, demanding that the akim of the city include them in the list of those to be paid. If more floods occur it will be impossible to live in flood-prone areas. The only alternative is a radical revision of the requirements for residential zoning protective measures. Tokayev spoke about the responsibility for breached and unfinished dams and dikes, as well as the overlooked forecasts made by meteorologists about increased snowmelt and the threat of flooding not only from rivers, but also from the steppes in late March. For the lack of timely flood control measures, he announced a harsh reprimand to First Deputy Prime Minister Roman Sklyar and Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Nurzhan Nurzhigitov. Local administrators weren't spared either, with harsh reprimands and warnings for incomplete official compliance to the akims of Aktobe, Kostanay and West Kazakhstan regions -- and a harsh reprimand to the akims of Atyrau, Akmola, Almaty, Pavlodar and Abay regions. According to official data from the Ministry of Emergency Situations, in 2024 to date seven billion tenge ($15.5 million) have been allocated just to local executive bodies for flood mitigation activities. In March 2024, 66 billion tenge ($147 million) was allocated to carry out work relating to combating emergency situations. From 2019 to 2023, the Emergency Situations Ministry's expenditures increased almost fourfold, to 264 billion tenge ($588 million). Over the past five years, over 762 billion tenge ($1.7 billion) has been allocated from the national budget. What exactly those funds were towards remains an open question -- possibly as part of ongoing criminal cases. Disasters of the Past It's not the first time that high water has caused irreparable damage in Kazakhstan. In Uralsk they still talk about a serious flood in 1942. In early May, the water level in the Urals reached 943 centimeters, and a 9-point storm raged on the river. Over 500 families were evacuated from...

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Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan Consider Joint-Stock Company to Build Kambarata HPP-1

Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Energy has announced that the draft Agreement between the governments of Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan on the joint implementation of the construction and operation of Kambarata hydroelectric power plant (HPP)-1 has been posted on Kazakhstan’s official Internet portal Open Legal Acts. Available for public discussion, the agreement outlines the terms of cooperation between the parties in the proposed construction of Kambarata HPP-1 on the Naryn River in Kyrgyzstan. To implement the project, the proposed joint-stock company will be financed with 34 percent of authorized capital belonging to Kyrgyzstan, 33 percent to Kazakhstan, and 33 percent to Uzbekistan. The cost of construction is estimated between $5 billion and $6 billion and although the majority of funds will be drawn from the founders, further investment will be sought from loans and grants from international financial institutions and commercial banks. According to the draft, at the end of the project implementation period, the shares and assets of Kambarata HPP-1 will become the sole property of the Kyrgyz side. If realized, Kambarata HPP-1 will be the largest hydropower plant in Kyrgyzstan.

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“Eco-Enthusiasts” – Tashkent Hosts Environmental Competition for Students

On April 13, an environmental awareness competition, "Eco-Enthusiasts" was held in Tashkent's Zahiriddin Muhammad Babur Central Ecopark. The event was organized in accordance with the decree of the President, "On measures for effective work of the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change," and was timed to coincide with the Day of Ecological Knowledge, which is celebrated on April 15. Students from twelve higher educational institutions participated in the competition, demonstrating their knowledge and ability in answering a series of questions about the environment. The aim of the competition was to raise awareness of environmental issues, develop environmental culture, and disseminate information about contemporary environmental problems and the state of the environment. According to the results, first place went to the team, "Kimyogarlar," second place went to "Staticfacion," and third place went to the team, "Ecofaollar,” who all received prizes.

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Chinese Invest in Solar Power for Kyrgyzstan

On April 12, the Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic, Akylbek Japarov unveiled plans for the construction of a solar power plant near Balykchy in the country’s northern Issyk-Kul region. Financed with an investment of $400 million by a Chinese company, the plant will have a capacity of 400 megawatts and should be operational by the end of 2025. At the celebratory launch, Japarov stated that the Cabinet of Ministers has made the harness of solar energy, wind, and biogas technologies a key priority, and applauded progressive initiatives which over the past two years, include large-scale hydroelectric power plants Kambarata (HPP)-1, Kulanak HPP and Bala-Saruu HPP, as well as hundreds of smaller hydroelectric power stations nationwide. “Our goal is to achieve energy independence. The first stage of work on Kambarata HPP-1 has been completed, and work is currently underway to update its feasibility. Once in operation, it will become the largest hydropower nation in the region.”

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USAID Oasis Project on Course to Restore Aral Sea Ecosystem

The U.S. Embassy in Kazakhstan has announced that from 12 – 16 April, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) will visit the Oasis project on the former shores of the Aral Sea in the Kyzylorda region of Kazakhstan. Launched in 2021, the Oasis is integral to Environmental Restoration of the Aral Sea Activity (ERAS-I); a larger initiative spawned by USAID in cooperation with the Executive Directorate of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea. Comprising a 500-hectare demonstration site for testing black saxaul shrubs, the project represents a first step in restoring the local ecosystem and demonstrates the willingness of governments, NGOs, and local communities to collaborate on building resilience against environmental threats to Central Asia. In advance of the expedition to commemorate the project’s success and celebrate the efforts of those who contributed to its realization, U.S. Ambassador to Kazakhstan, Daniel Rosenblum, stated: “The testing and research at the Oasis will benefit not only Kazakhstan communities in this region, but will also inform ecosystem restoration efforts throughout the Aral Sea region. Working together with national and international partners, we are proud to be part of this mission to find collaborative solutions to build climate resilience in Central Asia.” The Aral Sea disaster is one of the worst ecological catastrophes in human history. Formerly the fourth largest lake in the world, the Aral Sea began shrinking in the 1960s when water from the rivers that fed it was redirected for agricultural irrigation. Today, the Aral Sea is only 10% full. The subsequent birth of the Aralkum Desert and the sand and dust storms rising from the world’s newest desert have both polluted the environment and severely affected the health in local communities.