Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan jointly to improve environmental situation in Aral Sea basin

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Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan will conduct joint activities to improve the environmental situation in the Aral Basin and coordinate efforts to protect migratory animals. These and other provisions are outlined in the law "On the Ratification of the Agreement between the Government of Kazakhstan and the Government of Uzbekistan on Cooperation in the Field of Ecology," which was adopted by the Mazhilis during a plenary session on Wednesday, Vlast.kz reports.

"One of the new directions is holding joint activities with the Uzbek side to improve the environmental situation in the Aral Basin. This will allow the coordination of actions between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to mitigate the consequences of the Aral Sea environmental crisis and contain sand and salt storms by planting saxaul," Kazakhstan's Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Yerlan Nysanbayev told deputies.

According to him, the total area of the basin is about 6 million hectares, with 2.8 million hectares of dried-up seabed located in Kazakhstan. The minister recalled that the goal is to carry out forest reclamation work on a total area of 1.1 million hectares by 2025. Soil surveys have already been conducted on 753,000 hectares, and from 2021 to 2024, work has been carried out on 413,000 hectares.

"The next step is to coordinate efforts to protect migratory animals such as saigas, gazelles, and argali in the Kazakh-Uzbek border area," Nysanbayev added.

Additionally, the law provides for the control of transboundary hazardous waste transportation and disposal, cooperation on protecting ecosystems from degradation and adapting to climate change, the launch of joint educational programs, scientific research, and personnel training. It also establishes a new Kazakh-Uzbek joint commission on environmental cooperation. According to Nysanbayev, the commission's meetings will be held at least once a year.

CentralasianLIGHT.org

September 18, 2024