Section 5. Key Water Developments in the Countries of Central Asia
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Section 5 Key Water Developments in the Countries of Central Asia WATER YEARBOOK: Central Asia and Around the Globe 5.1. Kazakhstan SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF KAZAKHSTAN 18,395.6 POPULATION 104.1 GDP 6.8 pers/km2 POPULATION 104.1 DENSITY INDUSTRY 58.2% URBAN 103.5 POPULATION Astana AGRICULTURE 51.6% FEMALE 104.1 CONSTRUCTION 397.8 BORN Area – 2,724.9 thsd km2; 104.8 Desert – 44%; semi-desert – 14%; COMMUNICATION Steppe – 26%; forest – 5.5%; Climate – sharply continental; January mean temperature – from –19°С 130.5 to –2°С; DEAD July mean temperature – from +19°С to +28°С 106.5 RETAIL TRADE 12.8 ARRIVALS 107.3 CARGO TURNOVER 41.9 DEPARTURES 103.2 PASSENGER TURNOVER DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS (thousand people, unless otherwise specified) REAL ECONOMY (2018 to 2017 ratio, %) Data by the Statistics Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan General Information The unit water supply in Kazakhstan is 37,000 m3/km2 or 6,000 m3 per capita a year. The total river water resources are 101 km3, of which Water resources. Due to its geographical loca- 3 tion, water resources in Kazakhstan are 57 km are formed on the territory of Kazakhstan. distributed unevenly. There are 8,500 rivers in the The rest of the water is coming from neighboring countries: Russia – 8 km3; China – 19 km3; country, and the major ones are Irtysh, Ishim, 3 3 Ural, Syr Darya, Ili, Chu, Tobol, etc. Glaciers are Uzbekistan – 15 km ; and Kyrgyzstan – 3 km . the main sources of rivers. There are 48,000 large and small lakes. The major lakes are the Caspian Water resources management is implemented Sea and the Aral Sea. Balkhash, Zaisan, and by the Committee for Water Resources of the Alakol are the largest lakes. Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan. 78 Section 5. Key Water Developments in the Countries of Central Asia The territorial sub-divisions administered by the international agreements (PP RK 373 of 22 June Committee for Water Resources of the Ministry 2018) between the Governments of Kazakhstan of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan; and also between the include: Governments of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan on using of fuel and water and 1. Republican State Agency “Aralo-Syr energy resources of the Naryn-Syrdarya Darya basin inspection on water use reservoir cascade. regulation and protection”; Amendments have been made to the ad- 2. Republican State Agency “Balkhash- ministrative and territorial structure of South Ka- Alakol basin inspection on water use zakhstan province (SKP). As a result, at present, it regulation and protection”; embraces a newly created Zhetysai district with the administrative center of Zhetysai city; 3. Republican State Agency “Yertisky Maktaral district with the administrative center basin inspection on water use regulation in Myrzakent settlement through division of and protection”; Maktaaral district of SKP; Saryagashskiy district with the city of Saryagash as an administrative 4. Republican State Agency “Esil basin center, and Kelesskiy district with the administ- inspection on water use regulation and rative center in Abbay settlement through protection”; division of Saryagash district of SKP. 5. Republican State Agency “Nura-Sarysus Water Sector basin inspection on water use regulation and protection”; Practical work under the second phase of the 6. Republican State Agency “Tobol-Turgai “Syr Darya Control and the Northern Aral Sea basin inspection on water use regulation Project” has been started. The Project will be and protection”; implemented in two stages for the state budget funds and the WB loan. As a result of the Project, 7. Republican State Agency “Zhaiyk- it is expected that socio-economic develop- Caspian basin inspection on water use ment and living standards of population regulation and protection”; (especially, in rural areas) will be improved; and the Northern Aral Sea will have more water 8. Republican State Agency “Shu-Talas inflow through the reduction of losses caused by basin inspection on water use regulation poor conditions of irrigated land. and protection”. Reconstruction of the Arnasay dam has been completed. Previously, excessive water Latest Developments in Legislation and was discharged into the Arnasay depression Public Administration through the dam. The dam is located in the south of the Shardara reservoir and now blocks Amendments to Land Regulation. The Parlia- the Arnasay depression. Construction of 36- ment of Kazakhstan has approved the amend- kilometre dam and road made it possible to ments to the legislation on land regulation in the connect Shardara and Maktaaral districts. second reading. The maximum sizes of agricultural lands which can be given in lease to In Mangistau province, farmers are moving Kazakh people have been established. towards drip irrigation systems; 30% of its equip- According to the new amendments, foreign ment cost is subsidized by the state. By 2021, it is companies and individuals will have no rights to expected that all farms in the province will use lease a piece of agricultural land even for a drip irrigation. In Shardara district of Turkestan temporary use. Kazakhstan enterprises will have province, drip irrigation will allow doubling no right to lease a piece of agricultural land if cotton production, which was 28.4 centner/ha they have even minimum percentage of on average in 2017. In total, as of 15 August, the foreign share. Agricultural lands will be provided area of the republic where water-saving irriga- on a competition basis only. Also, a new tion technologies are used was 183.4 thousand procedure on withdrawal of land for state use is ha (drip irrigation - 82.85 thousand ha, sprinkling stipulated. – 100.53 thousand ha) or 12.7% of all irrigated area. The Government of Kazakhstan has adop- ted a Resolution on denunciation of some 79 WATER YEARBOOK: Central Asia and Around the Globe Floods products for the amount of $780 million. 17,500 tons of beef (given the plan of 15,000 tons) were 287 houses were flooded in Eastern Kazakhstan exported for the period of 11 months. In general, province in March as a result of ice melting on the amount of attracted investments is the Irtysh and the Syr Darya rivers. More than 600 increasing. For the period of 10 months, the plots of land have been damaged by high amount of the attracted investments was 18.4% water. Based on approximate calculations, in agriculture capital assets and 33.7% in food floods in the province have caused losses for the production. amount of 3.2 billion tenge. With the systemic measures, the mecha- nisms and sizes of state support are developing In February, in Northern Kazakhstan provin- and increasing. Based on the request of the ce 127 settlements were at risk of waterlogging. Head of State, annually, not less than 100 billion This waterlogging was mainly caused by failure tenge will be allocated additionally for the State to pass excess water through pipes (culverts) Program. Also, 200 billion tenge will be provided during ice melting. Media reported that 600 for resolution of issues related to affordable million tenge have been provided for preven- lending under the priority agroindustry projects. tion of emergencies. Thus, the size of state support will be doubled. In Western Kazakhstan province, 1.3 billion In 2018, the Ministry of Agriculture of the RK tenge have been allocated to mitigate conse- renewed subsidizing of interest rates under the quences of emergencies caused by spring fixed assets loans, as well as the agricultural flooding. Near Peremetnoe settlement of equipment and livestock leasing. As a result, for Zelenov district, the dam, which was restored in the period of 10 months, 2,752 pieces of equip- 2017, has collapsed. Under the warranty ment for the amount of 50 billion tenge have commitments, the contractor was legally been leased out. As an example, in 2017 the obliged to restore the dam. Based on the data leased out equipment amounted to 40.2 billion of the Emergency Committee of the Ministry of tenge, which is 19.8% less than in 2018. On the Internal Affairs of the RK, six districts of Almaty whole, in 2018 about 60 billion tenge were province were flooded by melt water. More allocated for implementation of leasing pro- than 300 homesteads were damaged and jects. some districts declared the state of emergency. About 1,000 people were evacuated. More According to the Ministry of National Econo- than 1 billion of tenge was allocated for flood my of the RK, from January to November 2018 management activities, as well as for construc- gross production of agriculture, forestry and tion of trenches, canals, ditches, drainage fishery amounted to 4,167.6 billion tenge, which systems and purchasing of equipment and is 2.9% more than in the same period in 2017. machines. Mahambet district of Atyrau province In February in Kyzylorda province, the Syr started to grow green mass for cows using the Darya broke a protection embankment. As a hydroponics system. The system will allow pro- result, more than 2,000 ha of agricultural land ducing approximately 10 tons of green mass a used for growing rice (500 ha) and as pastures day. The green mass is generated from barley, and hayfields was flooded. which is grown under the certain temperature using the hydroponic method allowing increa- Agriculture sing the barley mass 14 times. Farmers say that milk production increases by one third after feeding the cattle with this green mass. Based on the data of the Kazakh Ministry of Agriculture, in 2018 the total crop area in the It is planned to reduce the number of country amounted to 22 million ha. It is 170,000 research institutes which belong to agro- ha or 0.6 % more than in 2017.