Last week, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev held a meeting of the council of heads of founding states of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea. The meeting taking place in the capital is no coincidence, as a previously underestimated strategic resource is now becoming vitally important for Kazakhstan.
Earlier, at the Akorda, the President met with Retno Marsudi, the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative on Water Resources. During the meeting, the Kazakh side reiterated the initiative to establish an International Water Organization. According to forecasts, by 2040, the country's water deficit could reach 15 billion cubic meters. This is equivalent to half of the Bukhtarma reservoir or 15% of Lake Balkhash.
Currently, Kazakhstan uses about 25 billion cubic meters of water annually for agriculture, industry, and drinking water needs. If the annual deficit reaches 15 billion cubic meters, available water resources will more than halve. For comparison: if each person drinks 2 liters of water per day, 15 billion cubic meters would be enough to supply drinking water to the entire world population for two and a half years.
According to a UN report, by 2050, about 5 billion people will live in regions with limited water resources. During this period, Kazakhstan's GDP could decline by up to 6% due to water scarcity. Three years ago, the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation was established in the country, and an updated Water Code was adopted. The ministry planned to create a digital platform for all water resources, but the lack of a database and qualified specialists hinders systematic work.
According to Worldometers, Kazakhstan ranks 11th in the world in per capita water consumption. The daily norm per person is 3.5 thousand liters. For comparison: in Russia – 1.3 thousand liters, in Germany – 855 liters, in the UK – 348 liters. Large industrial companies use billions of cubic meters of groundwater at low tariffs and without proper control, and also discharge harmful waste into rivers and lakes. Environmental fines are insignificant, indicating the need to tighten legislation.
