Section 5 Key water developments in the countries of Central Asia Water Yearbook: Central Asia and Around the Globe 5.1. Kazakhstan Overview General information The territory of Kazakhstan can be divided into eight water-management basins: Territory. 2, 724,900 km2 (9th place in the world). Most of the territory of the country is occupied 1. Aralo-Syr Darya water management by desert (44%) and semi-desert (14%). Steppes basin; cover 26 % of the Kazakh terrain, while forests 2. Balkhash-Alakol water management occupy 5.5 %. By administrative division, the basin country is divided into fourteen provinces and two cities of the “state importance”. 3. Irtysh water management basin; 4. Uralo-Caspian water management Climate. The extreme continental climate of the basin; country can be explained by its remoteness from oceans. The average temperature in 5. Ishin water management basin; January varies from −19 °C in the north to −2 °C 6. Nura-Sarysus water management in the south, while the average temperature in basin; July ranges from +19 °C in the north to +28 °C in the south. Summers are warm and dry and 7. Shu-Talas water management basin; winters are cold and snowy. 8. Tobol-Turgai water management basin. Population. By the beginning of 2018, the population was estimated at 18.1 millions, of The unit water supply of the Republic of which 48 % men and 52 % women. Kazakhstan is 37,000 m3/km2 or 6,000 m3 per capita a year. The total river water resources are Natural resources. Kazakhstan is the top zinc, 101 km³, of which 57 km³ are formed on the tungsten and barium sulphate producer in the territory of Kazakhstan. The rest of the water world . The country also has vast petroleum and from neighboring countries: Russia - 8 km³; China gas reserves mostly found in its western regions. - 19 km³; Uzbekistan - 15 km³; and, Kyrgyzstan - Nowdays, Kazakhstan is considered to be the 3 km³. one of the leading oil ountries in the world. Water resources management is implemented Economy. In 2017, the GDP growth in the count- by the Committee for Water Resources of the ry reached 4%. In 2017 a foreign trade turnover Ministry of Agriculture of Kazakhstan. was $69.5 million. Productoin of mining, fuel and energy, metallurgical, chemical and agricul- Latest developments in legislation ture industries are the main export commodities. Hystorically, agriculture development is one of In February 2017, the State Program for agro- the priorities in the country. Kazakhstan is industry development in Kazakhstan was among the ten leading exporters of grain and adopted for 2017-2021. Based on the analysis of one of the leaders in flour export. 70% of the existing problems, the Agro-industry cropland in the north are covered by grain and Expansion Roadmaps were developed during technical crops, such as wheat, barley, and in 2017 for each region. The Law On amend- millet. The leading subsector of agriculture is the ments and additions to some legislative acts of livestock farming which focuses mostly on the Republic of Kazakhstan on the flora and breeding cattle, horses, camels and pigs. fauna issues was enacted. This law is aimed to improve the legislation related to flora and Water resources. Due to its its geographical fauna protection, conservation, reproduction location, Kazakhstan experiences a shortage of and use. water. Glaciers are the main sources of rivers in Kazakhstan. There are 8,500 rivers in the country, and Irtysh, Ishim, Ural, Syr Darya, Ili, Chu, Tobol, Flood control etc are the major ones. There are 48,000 large and small lakes. The major lakes are the Annually, different regions of Kazakhstan are Caspian Sea and the Aral Sea. Balkhash, Zaisan, suffering of floods that cause substandial and Alakol are the largest lakes are. The Aral damage. The insufficient flow capacity of Sea is shared by Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. downstream springs, rivers, and canals used for water discharge are among the reasons of 52 Section 5. Key water developments in the countries of Central Asia causing floods. During the 2017 flood season all In particular, loan agreements were signed with necessary preventive measures were imple- the European Bank for Reconstruction and mented; however, as the Kazakh Minister for Development (EBRD) and the Islamic Develop- Internal Affairs reported at the Governmental ment Bank (IDB) for irrigation rehabilitation on Meeting, not all large reservoirs had been ready 128,000 ha and drainage restoration on 101,000 for the safe bypass of flood water. According to ha for a total amount of more than 102 billion him, free storages in reservoirs during the tenghe. Investment proposals are being deve- flooding periods should be ready to regulate loped for the rest of 481,000 ha. of land. the streamflow safely. Irrigated land reclamation in Kyzylorda pro- The four-year master plan for flood preven- vince. Funds from international financial institu- tion and elimination has been developed in tions for land reclamation projects are being Karaganda region for the period of 2017-2020. raised in Kyzylorda province. It is planned to The plan includes dredging and bank reclaim 188,400 ha of available 238,600 ha of protection work, protective dams, capital irrigated land in the region through international repair of bridges and pipe culverts and other institutions' funds. 180,000 ha land have been measures to prevent flooding. Regional used in crop farming this year, which is in 10,000 authorities decided to divert the course of the ha more than last year. Irrigated land expansion Nura River in order to prevent the possible is achieved through hydrotechnical structures, damage during thespring floods of 2018. In including the Kyzylorda hydrosystem. As part of 2017, the local flood warning systems were the Irrigation and Drainage Improvement installed in Zhana-Arka district of the region. By Project Phase 2 initiated by the Ministry of 2020 it is planned to install such systems in all Agriculture, it is planned to rehabilitate 15,000 settlements and district centers. ha of irrigated land in Zhalagash district, Kyzylorda region. Water facilities and construction Agriculture Shardara HPP. Replacement of all hydroagre- gates and equipment at the Shardara hydro- In Kazakhstan, agricultural GDP amounted to power plant (HPP) under the modernization 3,880.3 billion tenghe in January-November program to be completed in 2018, would 2017. This is 2.3% higher than the same period of extendthe operation service of this hydropower the last year. Agricultural production growth plant for another 50 years. The plant has been can be explained by an increase in crop pro- operating successfully as part of the Naryn-Syr duction by 1,4 %, cattle and poultry slaughtering Darya cascade of the hydropower stations by 5.2%, milk yield by 2.9 % and eggs by 6.7 %. providing with irrigation water the South Kazakhstan and Kyzylorda regions. Grain yield. In 2017, the total cultivated land was 22.1 Mha which is 651,000 ha higher than in Additional 20 reservoirs with possible accumu- 2016. Production of crop requiring high amount lation of almost 2 billion m3 of water will be built in of water was reduced. Spring sowing covered seven regions of Kazakhstan. The project cost is 18.7 Mha. In general, yields of spiked cereals in estimated for 57 billion tenghe. 15 emergency 2017 were forecasted at the average level of reservoirs are under rehabilitation, of which in 7 12.6 centner per ha, with the gross harvest of the work was completed in 2017. grain 19.2 Mt. By 30 October, grain harvesting was fully (100%) completed. Given the average The capital repair has been started in the Char yields of 14.4 centner/ha in the current year, reservoir in the Eastern Kazakhstan. Formerly, farmers of the country have harvested more that reservoir used to umulate almost 80 milion than 22 Mt of grain. m3 and irrigated 1,800 ha of land. The Kazakh Government has allocated 1.6 billion tenghe to Increase in oil crop and lentil acreage. The implement this work. After the reconstruction of acreage of oil crops were record-breaking and canals, dam embankment and other necessary exceeded 2 Mha in 2017. The planned planted activities, the irrigated land area is planned to lands of those crops increased from 1,901,800 be extended by 6,000 ha. ha in 2016 to 2,310,600 ha in 2017. In fact, 1,956,400 ha and 2,377,500 ha were planted Irrigation and land reclamation accordingly. The plan was 102.9 % exceeded in 2016 and 2017. The lantil-planted land extended three times as much: from 105,000 ha Kazakhstan is planning to attract investments to 295,000 ha. Horticulture development is for rehabilitation of 481,000 ha of irrigated land. increasing in the South Kazakhstan region. As 53 Water Yearbook: Central Asia and Around the Globe the regional authority reported, the total station was constructed in Mangistou region horticulture area is expected to reach 2,000 ha. together with French engineers and Chinees investors. The pilot green energy project is to be In 2017, 777 agricultural cooperatives were put in operation as early as in the first quarter of established in Kazakhstan and covered about 2018. 85,400 of private subsidiary farms and peasant farms. Cooperatives will provide centralized The largest Central Asian 200 MW solar power services related tocattle slaughtering, veteri- station for the total amount of about 300 million nary, forage production, agrochemistry, and Euro is to be constructed by TOO «Duesun Taraz» delivery of production to the places of in Zhambyl region. processing and sale. The above measures will help to increase the load of processing The World N1 Project, which will use solar power entreprizes by average 30% and reduce the for railway transport, was launched in Saryagash trade margin between producer and consu- district, South Kazakhstan region.