Lake Balkhash - The Times Of Central Asia

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Kazakhstan’s Lake Balkhash Receives 13.5 billion Cubic Meters of Water in 2024

The Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation of the Republic of Kazakhstan announced on November 8 that 13.5 billion cubic meters of water had been sent to Lake Balkhash via the Ili River from the Kapchagay Reservoir this year, raising the lake’s average water level to 341.6 meters above sea level. The trans-boundary Ili River, originating in China, supplies about 70% of Lake Balkhash’s water. According to the ministry, this year’s average water flow at the Kazakhstan-China border was 384 cubic meters per second, a 17% increase from last year. Lake Balkhash, located 280 kilometers northwest of Almaty, Kazakhstan’s largest city, is the world’s fifteenth-largest lake. In May, reports indicated that Balkhash’s water level had risen by 23 centimeters since the start of the year, largely due to increased rainfall and snowmelt-related floods this past spring. Earlier this month, The Times of Central Asia reported that Kazakhstan and China have initiated negotiations on the joint management and allocation of water from shared rivers. A key goal for Kazakhstan in these talks is to maintain optimal water levels in Lake Balkhash. Three major rivers in Kazakhstan — the Irtysh, Ili, and Emel — originate in China, making trans-boundary water management critical for the country. In late August, The Times of Central Asia also reported that the Kapchagay Reservoir near Almaty had filled to capacity for the first time in a decade. The reservoir collects water from the Ili River and regulates its flow to Lake Balkhash.

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Tigers Return to Kazakhstan: A New Home for Bogdana and Kuma

A pair of Amur tigers from the Netherlands has been brought to Kazakhstan; tigers are not the only animals that Kazakhstan is getting back. A few days ago, a long-awaited pair of tigers, bred in a special reserve in the Netherlands, arrived in Kazakhstan. Online, some worried that the tigers would not survive in the harsh climate, or would attack livestock and people. According to WWF Netherlands wildlife expert, Geert Poleta, these fears are unfounded. For several years now, the international NGO, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), together with the Government of Kazakhstan, has been implementing a program to return tigers to Pribalkhashye. The Amur tiger is a relative of the extinct Turanian breed. Historically, the habitat of the Turanian tiger in the country was reed thickets and floodplain forests along the banks of the Ili and Syr Darya rivers. The extermination of the animal began during the time of the Russian Empire, and the last Kazakh tiger was killed in 1948. Decades later, wild cats are returning to Kazakhstan. As experts point out, this event is an essential step in restoring the ecosystem and lost biodiversity. Bogdana and Kuma, the names of the Amur tigers, flew for more than a day from the Dutch Holy Lion specialized center for predators at the Landgoed Hoenderdaell Zoo to the Ile-Balkhash State Nature Reserve. Permanent caretakers accompanied them. At the Dutch zoo, “the animals were kept in separate spacious enclosures with minimal contact with visitors," Gert Polet, a wildlife expert at WWF Netherlands explained. "Thanks to the spacious territory of the center, the tigers had their own area to live in the most natural conditions possible. In the summer of 2024, a Memorandum was signed between the Committee of Forestry and Wildlife of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Dutch center, which provides for the free transfer of two tigers to Kazakhstan for further breeding and the release of their offspring.” There is no need to fear that the big cats will harm residents in their new and unfamiliar conditions, as they will be kept under strict supervision. “Zoo tigers cannot be returned to the wild. The arriving tigers will never leave the territory of their enclosure. They were brought in for breeding and raising offspring. If the tiger's birth project is successful, the adults will be moved to another enclosure, located at a center of the reserve which will be open to visitors,” Polet stated. He believes that Bogdana and Kuma have a 60% chance of having cubs. Tiger cubs born in the enclosure of the Ile-Balkhash reserve will be reared following international standards and protocols. At one and a half to two years old, they will be prepared for release into the wild. In addition, the new residents of the reserve will be monitored constantly by video and cared for by a dedicated member of staff. “Over the past year, a veterinarian from the Zholbarys Association has been trained in various clinics and zoos in Russia. She also visited the...

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Kazakhstan and China in Talks on Feeding Lake Balkhash

The Kazakh Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation announced on August 19 that Kazakhstan and China are drafting an agreement on dividing trans-boundary river waters between the two countries. The main objective of the agreement is to ensure that the water in Kazakhstan’s Lake Balkhash remains at an optimal level. Located 280km northwest of the country’s largest city, Almaty, Lake Balkhash is the fifteenth largest lake in the world. It is fed by several trans-boundary rivers flowing from China, the largest of which is the Ili River, which provides about 80% of the lake's water. [caption id="attachment_21931" align="aligncenter" width="1056"] Image: Wikimapia[/caption] Environmentalists in Kazakhstan have been concerned about Lake Balkhash's shallowing. Balkhash has been gradually drying up in recent years, including due to the decline in water volumes in the Ili River. Upstream China has extensively diverted the river over the past half century to produce hydroelectric power and agricultural crops on irrigated land. According to research, as of 2021 China was blocking 40% of the river’s inflow. Moldir Abdualieva, a spokesperson of the Kazakh Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, said that the ministry has been paying great attention to providing Lake Balkhash with the necessary volume of water. “Since the beginning of this year, more than 12 billion cubic meters of water have been sent to the lake," she said. In May, it was reported that the water level in Balkhash had risen by 23cm since the beginning of the year due to increased rainfall and floods caused by snow melt this past spring.