Kazakhstan plans three-stage reconstruction of 168-km Bolshoy Almaty Canal

September 2, 2026 at 08:12 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 has developed a project to reconstruct a 15.6-km section of the Bolshoy Almaty Canal named after D. Kunayev. The ministry is also preparing documents for reconstruction of sections totaling 110 km. The work is part of a three-stage plan to fully concrete-line and modernize the canal.

Key Facts

The Bolshoy Almaty Canal named after D. Kunayev has a total length of 168 km and can pass up to 87 cubic meters of water per second.
A reconstruction project has been developed for a 15.6-km section of the canal.
Documents are being prepared for reconstruction of sections totaling 110 km.
At the beginning of this year, reconstruction of 1.53 km of canal sections was completed with monolithic reinforced concrete lining.
The completed work improved water supply to 33,300 hectares of irrigated land in Almaty region.

Reconstruction Plan

The Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation plans to reconstruct the Bolshoy Almaty Canal named after D. Kunayev in three stages. A project for reconstruction of a 15.6-km section has already been developed. Documents are being prepared for reconstruction of sections totaling 110 km. The third stage includes reconstruction of the canal's head water intake structure.

Canal Capacity

The canal has a total length of 168 km and can pass up to 87 cubic meters of water per second. Reconstruction will bring the canal's water conveyance capacity to design levels. It will also improve water supply to irrigated lands in Almaty region.

Completed Work

At the beginning of this year, reconstruction of 1.53 km of canal sections was completed. The sections were lined with monolithic reinforced concrete. This improved the canal's technical condition and reduced water losses. It also ensured quality water supply to 33,300 hectares of irrigated land in the region, according to Arsen Zhakanbayev, chairman of the Water Management Committee.