BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 11. Kazakhstan and
France are jointly developing a Master Plan for the conservation of
Lake Balkhash.


This is stated by the press service of the Ministry of Water
Resources and Irrigation of Kazakhstan.


An open meeting of the working group on the development of the
Master Plan for preserving the ecosystem of Lake Balkhash was held
in Astana. The project is being implemented within the framework of
cooperation between the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation
of Kazakhstan, the French Development Agency (AFD), and the French
Geological and Mining Research Bureau (BRGM).


The meeting was attended by representatives of the Ministry of
Water Resources and Irrigation, the Ministry of Ecology and Natural
Resources, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Information and
Analytical Center for Water Resources, as well as French project
partners and others.


“Experts from France presented interim results of research in
key areas of the project. Participants of the meeting were briefed
on the results of work in agriculture, hydrology, assessment of
glacier runoff contribution, hydrogeology, water use, and modeling
of water resource distribution,” the ministry said.


Particular attention was paid to sustainable water resource
management in the Lake Balkhash basin under climate change
conditions.







Experts presented approaches to forecasting river runoff,
assessing future changes in glacier-fed inflows, studying the
interaction between surface and groundwater, and using modern
modeling tools to support decision-making processes.


Separate discussions focused on the prospects for using modern
digital tools to analyze water distribution scenarios and prepare
basin management plans.


Following the discussions, experts were able to integrate
research results across various fields into a unified assessment
system of the Lake Balkhash catchment area and identify priority
issues requiring further work. The completion of the Master Plan
and presentation of its final results are expected by the end of
2026.


“Following the visit of French experts, further stages of the
Master Plan development will be clarified, including the
preparation of forecast scenarios for water management development
until 2040, the selection of climate models, and additional
research in specific areas. Until the end of 2026, joint work
between Kazakh and French experts will continue on integrating
research results, improving model calculations, and preparing the
final document. The Master Plan will serve as a scientific basis
for long-term decision-making on the conservation of Lake
Balkhash’s ecosystem and sustainable water resource management in
the basin,” said Chairman of the Board of the Information and
Analytical Center for Water Resources, Kairatgali Khairullin,
during the meeting.


Meanwhile, the first nuclear power plant in Kazakhstan, to be
built by Russia’s Rosatom, is planned near Lake Balkhash, in the
village of Ulken in the Almaty region