Kazakhstan has started developing
the second phase of the project for preserving the Northern Aral Sea. The
Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation is preparing the necessary
documentation with funding from a World Bank grant. The project consists of
three main components. The first one involves developing infrastructure and
improving the hydrological condition of the Northern Aral Sea and the Syr Darya
river delta. The second component is the support of a stable economic, social,
and environmental situation in the Kyzylorda region. The third focuses on
updating the information base and water resource management systems. Notably,
the first phase of the project resulted in the construction of the Kokaral Dam,
and the water volume in the Northern Aral Sea exceeded 27 billion cubic meters.
The second phase aims to develop fisheries and ecotourism, increase the volume
and efficiency of water accumulation in the sea, and improve the region’s
ecological state and water resource management.
«This is the second phase of the
Aral Sea preservation efforts, which includes the construction of hydraulic
structures as part of the project. To date, all necessary documents have been
collected. The next step is to conduct a state examination. Following its
completion, work will proceed in accordance with the relevant legislative norms
of Kazakhstan,» said Kazakh Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Nurzhan
Nurzhigitov.
At the beginning of this year,
Kazakhstan assumed the chairmanship of the International Fund for Saving the
Aral Sea (IFAS). During an informal summit of the Organization of Turkic States
on July 6, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev emphasized the need to unite efforts
to address the environmental issues of the Caspian and Aral Seas.
