Kyrgyzstan will supply Kazakhstan with more than half a billion cubic meters of irrigation water, announced Kazakhstan's Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, Nurzhan Nurzhigitov, reports the press service of Kazakhstan's Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation.
At the 33rd meeting of the Shu-Talas Water Management Commission, the parties agreed to increase the water flow volumes in the Shu and Talas rivers, which originate in Kyrgyzstan and then flow into Kazakhstan. Consequently, 180 and 380 million cubic meters of water will be supplied to Kazakhstan's Zhambyl region.
"An agreement has been reached with the leadership of Kyrgyzstan's Ministry of Water Resources to increase the water supply in the Shu and Talas rivers starting from the third decade of June," noted Nurzhigitov.
The issue of water scarcity in Central Asia is critical. In November 2024, Nikolai Podguzov, Chairman of the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB), stated that the region is only five years away from experiencing chronic water shortages. He identified several contributing factors, including reduced flow in the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers, the launch of the Kosh-Tepa canal in Afghanistan, and the region's increasing overpopulation.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
June 19, 2024