ASTANA, Kazakhstan, January 13. Kazakhstan
plans to establish a working group to combat illegal use of water
resources, Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Nurzhan
Nurzhigitov said at a government meeting, Trend reports via the government.
The minister provided an update on ongoing initiatives to
implement water-saving technologies within the agricultural sector,
emphasizing that the primary focus in this area is the transition
to modern, efficient irrigation practices.
“This priority became particularly evident during the 2025
vegetation period, which occurred under drought conditions and
placed significant strain on the water management system. Despite
these challenges, the irrigation season was completed successfully,
without critical losses to the agricultural sector, thanks to
timely management decisions and effective coordination at the
regional level,” Nurzhigitov stated.
According to the ministry, in 2025, a total of 11.1 cubic
kilometers of water were allocated to irrigate 1.2 million hectares
of agricultural land.
One of the key factors that mitigated the difficult conditions
during the irrigation season was the adoption of water-saving
technologies. In 2025, these technologies were utilized on 153,500
hectares of land.
At the same time, Nurzhigitov announced that the Ministry of
Water Resources and Irrigation will prepare updated water use
limits in February 2026, accounting for the most pessimistic water
inflow scenario, while the Ministry of Agriculture will revise the
crop structure in March 2026.
In addition, combating illegal use of water resources remains an
important priority, the minister noted. Together with the General
Prosecutor’s Office, an action plan has been developed, which
provides for the establishment of a republican interagency working
group involving law enforcement and other state bodies to
effectively address water theft and illegal water use.
