Kazakhstan reports 676.7 billion tenge water sector investment over three years

September 4, 2026 at 09:17 AM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

Kazakhstan's Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation reported 676.7 billion tenge in water sector investments over three years. The ministry also said water-saving technologies covered 543,500 hectares in 2025, saving 874 million cubic meters of irrigation water. The new Water Code took effect last year, setting new principles for water protection and use.

Key Facts

The Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation was created in September 2023 by order of the Head of State.
The new Water Code took effect last year, establishing fundamentally new principles for water protection and use.
In 2025, water-saving technologies covered 543,500 hectares, a fivefold increase in adoption dynamics, saving about 874 million cubic meters of irrigation water.
Over 2024–2025, reconstruction and modernization of 1,458 km of canals was completed, with work ongoing on more than 4,600 km.
In 2024–2025, five reservoirs were reconstructed and 22 drinking water supply projects were implemented, covering 321 settlements with about 945,000 people.

Water Code Implementation

The new Water Code introduced expanded requirements for protecting small rivers and lakes. Local executive bodies must define water protection zones and strips on surface water bodies within settlements. The document provides for the development of a General Plan and basin plans for water resource protection and use. Industrial enterprises must develop five-year plans for phased transition to recycled and circulating water supply and modernize existing systems using best available technologies.

Irrigation and Infrastructure

For 2026–2028, the republican budget provides more than 228 billion tenge for accelerating the introduction of modern irrigation technologies, four times more than the previous three-year period. Compensation for agricultural producers' costs for introducing water-saving technologies was increased to 80%. In 2026, 962 km of canals are planned to be commissioned, improving water supply for about 200,000 hectares of irrigated land. Mechanized canal cleaning volumes increased from 678 km in 2023 to 1,840 km in 2025. Tender procedures are underway for construction of three new reservoirs in Zhambyl, Kyzylorda, and West Kazakhstan regions.

Transboundary Water Cooperation

The formation of the legal framework with all neighboring states on transboundary water issues has been completed.