Lake Balkhash receives 40 billion of cubic meters of water as Kazakhstan steps up conservation efforts
Nearly 40 billion cubic meters of water have flowed into Lake Balkhash over the past three years, helping stabilize the lake’s water level, Qazinform News Agency reports.
According to Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, around 15.9 billion cubic meters of water were directed into the lake in 2024, followed by around 13.9 billion cubic meters in 2025. Since the beginning of 2026, more than 9.7 billion cubic meters of water have flowed into the lake.
Water is released into Lake Balkhash from the Kapshagay Reservoir, which is fed by the transboundary Ili River. The reservoir reached 98% of its capacity this year, compared with 100% in each of the previous two years.
“The inflow of water from the Ili River remains at its long-term average level. This helps maintain Lake Balkhash’s water level at the optimal elevation of 341 meters according to the Baltic height system,” said Water Resources and Irrigation Minister Nurzhan Nurzhigitov.
He added that work is underway with French experts to develop a master plan for the conservation of Lake Balkhash through 2040. Field studies have been completed, and the results are currently being analyzed.
Earlier, Qazinform reported Kazakhstan attracted more than 192 billion tenge in water sector investments.