Kazakhstan invests 676 bln tenge in water sector in 2 years
Kazakh Water Resources and Irrigation Nurzhan Nurzhigitov attended the Majilis sitting to report on the progress toward the UN Sustainable Development Goals, Qazinform News Agency reports.
He said 676.7 billion tenge was invested in the country’s water sector in two years, exceeding 569 billion invested between 2021–2023.
Over the past two years, 1,500 km of canals were concreted; 3,158 km were cleaned against 678 km in 2023.
He revealed water-saving technologies helped save 874 million cubic meters of water in 2025, 20% above target.
Expansion of irrigation systems accelerated to 150,000 ha per year, up from 30,000 ha before 2024.
543,500 ha are under water-saving irrigation in 2025, with the target of 1.3 million ha by 2030 or 70% of irrigated land.
He said a new comprehensive digital model for irrigation infrastructure is being introduced, covering water accounting, automated gate control, and distribution management.
As stated there, phase II of the Irrigation and Drainage Systems Improvement Project is 93% complete, with full construction expected by year-end.
Despite challenging climatic conditions, 11.1 billion cubic meters of irrigation water were supplied in 2025 to irrigate 1.2 million ha of farmland.
Earlier, at a public meeting with residents of Atyrau region, Kazakh Water Resources and Irrigation Minister Nurzhan Nurzhigitov reported that since the beginning of the year, more than 6 billion cubic meters of water have been directed into the Caspian Sea.
