In the 2025 irrigation season, Kazakhstan is set to receive approximately 3.7 billion cubic meters of water via the Syr Darya River. The agreement was finalized during negotiations involving officials from Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
The deal was reached at the 89th meeting of the Interstate Water Commission of Central Asia, held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
As part of the agreement, Kazakhstan will receive 909 million cubic meters of water through the interstate Dostyk Canal during the irrigation period. Additionally, 975 million cubic meters are slated for transfer to the Northern Aral Sea.
“We began negotiations last year, we must prepare for the water season in advance, particularly in the southern regions where every drop counts. All water from the Syr Darya will be collected in the Shardara Reservoir and directed toward agricultural needs. At present, we are channeling floodwaters into lakes and rivers and storing them in reservoirs,” said Kazakhstan’s Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, Nurzhan Nurzhigitov.
A day earlier, Nurzhigitov also addressed a climate forum in Samarkand. He noted that Uzbekistan had supplied 12.6 billion cubic meters of water to Kazakhstan from October of last year through April 1, exceeding the planned amount by 1.7 billion cubic meters.
Earlier reporting by The Times of Central Asia highlighted that eight regions in Kazakhstan face a heightened risk of spring flooding.
