Kazakh Ministry recommends planting less water-intensive crops amid looming hydrological droughts

Addressing the government session on Tuesday, Nurzhigitov said: “Agriculture accounts for over 60% of the country’s overall water consumption. The country’s southern regions: Almaty, Zhetysu, Zhambyl, Turkistan and Kyzylorda regions represent 98% of country’s 12 cubic kilometers irrigation water usage annually”.

The Kazakh Minister warned insufficient soil moisture during the pre-vegetation period led to water consumption of crops rising by 50% on average, placing an additional burden on irrigation sources and increasing the risk of water shortage in months to come.

Zhambyl region’s Teris-Asjibulak and Burkitti reservoirs were found to be lower than usual in spite of the region’s total reservoir level at 90.3%, 43 million cubic meters more than last year.

Turkistan and Kyzylorda regions’ reservoirs are at 75% of their total capacity.

Nurzhigitov also warned of possible challenges facing agriculture, especially in Zhaiyk and Syrdarya river basins, amid the National Weather Agency’s forecast lack of precipitation in the southern and western parts as well as the data from the World Meteorological Organization and the North EurAsia Climate Centre on possible hydrological droughts in May-July this year.

In this regard, Minister Nurzhigitov recommended the regional authorities to join forces with the Agriculture Ministry, basin administrations and Kazvodkhoz branches to come up with a set of prompt measures aimed at minimizing consequences of soil moisture deficits, including adoption of water saving technologies in irrigated agriculture and planting less water-intensive crops.

Earlier it was reported that President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev had tasked the Government and Samruk Kazyna Fund to take concrete action to reduce water scarcity in Mangistau region.