Tengrinews.kz - The Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation of Kazakhstan reported that 13.5 billion cubic meters of water have been directed into Lake Balkhash via the Ili River from the Kapchagay Reservoir since the beginning of this year.
As a result, the average water level in the lake has reached 341.60 meters according to the Baltic system.
It is noted that about 70 percent of the water in Balkhash is supplied by the transboundary Ili River. This year, the average water flow at the Dobyn hydropost on the border with China amounted to 384 cubic meters per second, which is 17 percent higher than last year’s level.
It is explained that the ministry is developing a draft intergovernmental agreement on the distribution of transboundary rivers between Kazakhstan and China. The main goal of the document is to ensure water inflow that will keep Lake Balkhash at an optimal level.
As stated by the head of the ministry, Nurzhan Nurzhigitov, 28 meetings on transboundary rivers have been held with China, Russia, and Central Asian countries.
"As a result of negotiations this year, for the first time in the past 10 years, the Kapchagay Reservoir has collected over 18 billion cubic meters of water and has reached 100 percent capacity," he reported.
Earlier, the ministry reported that the volume of water in the northern part of the Aral Sea had increased. It was noted that about two billion cubic meters of water had been directed into the North Aral since the beginning of the year. Currently, the total water volume in the sea has reached 22 billion cubic meters. More details in the material.
