Growing season in Kazakhstan ends without crop losses

"This year's growing season was marked by daunting climatic challenges," Aldamzharov stated. "The irrigation season started 20 days ahead of the average annual dates due to abnormally high spring temperatures. Moreover, insufficient soil moisture before the growing season negatively impacted the water supply, particularly in the southern regions. Under these challenging conditions, the Kyzylkum main canal's water intake from the Shardara Reservoir increased significantly. For instance, in April 2025, it reached 90 cubic meters per second (m³/s), and in May, it was 70 m³/s. This is a considerable increase from the previous year, when intake was just 30 m³/s in both April and May.”

According to Aldamzharov, another factor was the abnormally high temperatures seen since the start of the growing season. This caused peak lateral inflows to shift to earlier dates, which, in turn, had a significant impact on the amount of water reaching the Shardara Reservoir.

He added that there has also been a major decrease in the flow of inland rivers. For example, the Arys River's average flow in April 2025 was only 9 m³/s, a dramatic drop from 82 m³/s in April 2024. Similarly, the Bogen Reservoir received only 114 million m³ of water between April and July 2025, a significant decrease from 440 million m³ during the same period in 2024.

The ministry has implemented a series of measures to stop illegal water use. The Committee has also strengthened its state oversight to ensure compliance with water laws.

As a result, the ministry issued 912 permits for special water use totaling 22.3 billion m³. This effort is a priority that will help the ministry get an accurate picture of water consumption.

Speaking about the southern regions, Aldamzharov noted that despite the challenges, there are currently no significant risks to the water supply for the agricultural sector.

As Kazinform reported earlier, Kazakhstan will create a unified digital platform of water resources.