The Japanese government will provide Kazakhstan with a grant of $2 million to implement a project aimed at improving flood control measures. The funding is intended to be used for the introduction of an integrated dam management system.
According to the press service of the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, the project is scheduled to run until 2027 and aims to increase the country's resilience to floods and strengthen dam safety.
It has been reported that last year, experts from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) surveyed 13 water management facilities in four regions of Kazakhstan that were most affected by the spring floods.
In addition, several specialists from the state enterprise «Kazvodkhoz» completed advanced training courses in Japan.
«Since the establishment of the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, cooperation between Kazakhstan and Japan in the water sector has significantly strengthened, and we intend to continue this partnership. Japan has extensive experience in flood control and unique technologies in water resource management, which could be very beneficial for our country,» said Vice-Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Aslan Abdraimov.
For context, in February 2025, the Tasqyn flood forecasting system was put into operation. The Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation promised that the first forecasts would appear in early March, but, as practice has shown, even these vague predictions did not help prevent the numerous floodings that occurred in various regions of the country.
Reality refuted the department's optimistic reports: serious flooding was observed in several regions at once (North Kazakhstan, Aktobe, Kostanay, Akmola, and East Kazakhstan regions). Roads were washed away, populated areas were flooded, and transport links were disrupted.
Entire villages were isolated, while the Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, Nurzhan Nurzhigitov, spoke about the «effectiveness» of Tasqyn. Meanwhile, the actual cost of the forecasting system and the specific results of its operation remain unknown.