Kazakhstan allocates nearly 6 bcm of water for irrigation since start of growing season

According to the ministry, water withdrawals nationwide have reached 5.9 billion cubic meters, providing irrigation for 701,000 hectares of farmland.

During the current growing season, Kazakhstan plans to withdraw about 11 billion cubic meters of water to irrigate 1.2 million hectares of agricultural land.

Since the growing season began, 35,309 irrigation water supply contracts have been signed with farmers, including 26,585 processed through the ministry's billing system with the state-owned enterprise Kazvodkhoz.

In the Almaty, Zhambyl, Kyzylorda, Turkistan, and Zhetysu regions, 33,645 contracts have been signed to irrigate 829,000 hectares of farmland, including 77,700 hectares of rice fields. Preliminary figures show that 5.8 billion cubic meters of water have already been withdrawn in southern Kazakhstan, providing irrigation for 585,000 hectares, including the entire area under rice cultivation.

Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Nurzhan Nurzhigitov said preparations for the irrigation season had begun well in advance. He noted that meetings held in the southern regions last year focused on enforcing water consumption limits, reducing the acreage of water-intensive crops, diversifying crop patterns and expanding the use of water-saving irrigation technologies.

The minister added that special working groups had been established in each of the southern regions to monitor water use and raise awareness among farmers, stressing that strict compliance with water consumption limits was essential under this year's weather conditions.

Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that Astana is set to channel 16.2 bln tenge for engineering and energy infrastructure development.