Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation is taking steps to encourage farmers to conserve water more efficiently. The move follows criticism from President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, who criticized the slow adoption of water-saving technologies that have led to annual water losses of 40% in some regions.
The ministry aims to install water-saving technologies on 50% of the country’s irrigated land by 2030, with the goal of saving up to 2.1 cubic kilometers of water annually. Subsidies for drilling irrigation wells have been increased to cover 80% of their costs, while work is underway to raise subsidies for water-saving system installations to 80% of their costs in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture.
In line with the new Water Code, the state will offer subsidies and reduced tariffs for water supply based on the adoption of water-saving technologies. Tariffs for irrigation water will now be calculated according to the types of crops grown and the volume of water needed for their production.
Additionally, the ministry is working to digitize 3,500 km of irrigation canals in southern regions such as Almaty, Zhambyl, Kyzylorda, and Turkestan. This will improve water metering on over 362 thousand hectares of irrigated land and potentially save up to 600 million cubic meters of water annually. These efforts aim to enhance water efficiency in agricultural practices and reduce water losses in Kazakhstan.
Overall, these measures are part of a larger effort by Kazakhstan’s government to promote sustainable agriculture and protect its natural resources for future generations.
