Kazakhstani hydrogeologists have completed a six-month online training program led by experts from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
The Department of Groundwater at Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation organized the seminars for specialists at Kazhydrogeology, the country’s National Hydrogeological Service. Staff from its branches also took part.
The training covered current approaches to groundwater monitoring and assessment. Participants also studied groundwater modeling and water resource management, drawing on international practices in hydrogeology.
The USGS awarded certificates to 20 participants from Kazhydrogeology and its branches. Employees from the ministry’s Department of Groundwater and the Department of Strategic Development received certificates of appreciation.
Bolat Bekniyaz, chairman of Kazhydrogeology’s management board, thanked the USGS for supporting the professional development of Kazakhstani specialists in groundwater research and management.
He said the ministry would continue working with international partners through exchanges of professional experience and joint training.
The seminars were held under ongoing cooperation between the ministry and the USGS. In May, Kazakhstani specialists attended training in Boise, Idaho, on U.S. groundwater-monitoring systems and modeling methods. They also studied techniques for protecting groundwater sources.
Groundwater is important to water security in Central Asia’s arid and semi-arid areas. UNESCO estimates that it accounts for 98% of the world’s unfrozen freshwater. The organization says groundwater in Central Asia remains under-researched and under-governed, while cross-border cooperation is limited.
Kazakhstan is also developing a national water information system that will integrate data on surface water and groundwater. As The Times of Central Asia previously reported, it is intended to support predictive water management.
