Water Resources Management

The world’s primary consumer of water today is agriculture.

The agricultural sector accounts for about 70% of the world water consumption. However, water use efficiency in most countries leaves much to be desired. Losses are often about 50%. Forecasts of water use by the agricultural sector by mid-century are not reassuring. The demand for live water will increase by 50 percent on a global scale. This will be a consequence of the growing world population. Scientists are also alarmed by the fact that the rational use of water is not sufficiently taken care of. But many countries are already thinking about how to solve the water problem in the future. And Kazakhstan turned out to be among the first. Programs on water resources management have been operating in the country for several years already. One of the first has been accepted back in 2012. And in 2017, on behalf of the first President of Kazakhstan - Elbasy Nursultan Nazarbayev - a plan for the accumulation of flood water was developed. The document contains 296 projects, of which 30 are being implemented at the national level and 266 at the local level.

There is still work to be done.

Our republic has no access to the sea. According to information from the Institute of World Resources, the countries of the Central Asian region are among the countries with a high level of water stress, while Kazakhstan has a medium-high level. For this reason, the issue of rational use of water resources is of paramount importance to us. According to experts' estimates, by 2040 the country may face a significant deficit of water resources - in the amount of 50% of demand. At the same time, water consumption is expected to increase by 56%. But we can already observe negative trends today. For instance, if in the middle of the twentieth century the republic possessed water resources in the volume of almost 126 cubic kilometers, by 1974 this indicator had dropped to 114 cubic kilometers. By the early nineties, the country's water reserves decreased to 105 cubic kilometres.

Photo by dailynews.kz

Today, unfortunately, there is no accurate data on water reserve levels. Some say 100 cubic kilometers, others say 97 cubic kilometers. Whichever figure turns out to be correct, one thing is clear - we need to solve the problem of water shortage today. Yes, a technogenic factor has a negative impact on this situation, but the fact that 7 out of 8 river basins of Kazakhstan are formed in neighboring countries, i.e. are transboundary in nature, also plays a role due to their geographical location. Therefore, the problem of water security in the context of limited and vulnerable water resources is considered a threat to national security. The total area of arable land in the country is about 21 million ha, of which 1.5 million ha is irrigated. There are about 39,000 rivers and water streams in Kazakhstan, of which over 7,000 are more than 10 km long. In addition, the country has more than 48 thousand lakes with a total water surface area of 4,500 km². The main consumer of water in the country, as in the world, is the agricultural sector. The agricultural sector accounts for up to 67% of water resources use. Almost 14 km3 is spent annually for the needs of agriculture, while about 9 km3 is lost during transportation. 3.8 km3 per year is used for regular irrigation on an area of 1.4 million ha, while the remaining 0.8 km3 per year is used for lemon irrigation, hayfields, pasture irrigation and livestock farming. The reason for large water losses is simple: the state of irrigation systems. Today, 80% of the country's canals are worn out and more than 18 thousand km need repairs. Yet, it is known that irrigated land is 8-10 times more productive than non-irrigated land. New technologies can solve the problem. Thus, if they are used, agricultural production may increase by 20%, while the reduction of pesticide use and improvement of vegetation cover may increase yields by 79%. There is potential for this. And this is why.

State program on water resources management in Kazakhstan until 2030

At the end of January of this year, the concept of the draft Program on Water Resources Management in Kazakhstan for 2020-2030 was considered at the Government meeting. The document consists of 10 key areas, including international cooperation, updating the legal framework, institutional reform, modernization and reconstruction of water infrastructure, study of international best practices to create a water market, digitalization of water management, implementation of the "Smart Water" project, environmentally optimal use of water resources, training specialists with up-to-date skills, and implementation of essential national water projects. The main outcome of the program should be the preservation of the water balance at 100 km3 by the end of this decade. It is planned to build modern reservoirs for 5-7 cubic km, ensure water saving up to 5 cubic km, and use groundwater up to 15 cubic km. It is expected that new irrigation systems will be built to increase irrigated land from 1.7 to 3 million hectares, 26 new hydraulic structures will be built, 182 republican and 300 municipal hydraulic structures will be reconstructed. The length of lined main and distribution canals is expected to be increased from 3,423 to 19,000 km.

At the Government meeting, Prime Minister Askar Mamin stated: “Elbasy Nursultan Nazarbayev and Head of State Kassym-Jomart Kemelevich Tokayev set us the task of improving the efficiency of use and protection of water resources in the country. In this regard, the Concept of the Program on Water Resources Management has been developed. It meets our strategic goals and is supported by the Parliament”. The Concept was discussed with the participation of industry experts, deputies and members of the Nur Otan faction.

Arman Turlubek, Chairman of the Committee on Water Resources, emphasized that the adopted document "is a great step forward in the systematic development of the water sector and guaranteed provision of our country with water resources".