The Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation has warned of a possible shortage of water resources in Kyzylorda, Turkestan, Zhambyl and Almaty regions. The most tense situation is expected in the basin of the Syr Darya river.
WHICH REGIONS ARE AT RISK
The risks of water shortages were announced by Minister Nurzhan Nurzhigitov at a government meeting. According to the agency's assessment, the growing season is being affected by the consequences of the dry year 2025, reports Vlast.kz.
The most difficult situation is expected in the Syr Darya river basin. As the minister reported, the volume of water in the reservoirs of neighbouring states is currently 1.6 billion cubic metres less than during the same period last year. During the summer period, these reservoirs will operate in accumulation mode, so the expected volume of flow into Kazakhstan will be about 70% of the long-term average.
According to Nurzhigitov, this creates risks of water shortages in the middle and lower reaches of the Syr Darya basin.
WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THE SHU AND TALAS BASINS
A similar situation is developing in the basins of the Shu and Talas rivers. The minister reported that the Kirov Reservoir is filled to 78%, which is 89 million cubic metres less than last year's level. The filling of the Orto-Tokoy Reservoir is 83%, which is 79 million cubic metres below last year's figure.
In the Talas river basin, water levels are expected to be below normal, while in the Shu basin a moderately low-water regime is forecast, with flow within 50–75% of normal.
The minister emphasised that these basins are characterised by a persistently low water supply throughout the growing season.
WHY IS ATTENTION BEING PAID TO THE ALMATY REGION
Despite the relatively high level of accumulated resources, the risk of water shortage also remains in the Almaty region — in the area of the Kurty Reservoir.
The current volume of water there is 64 million cubic metres, which is 38 million cubic metres less than last year's level.
Furthermore, in the Shu-Talas basin, concern is being caused by the low filling of the Kirov and Orto-Tokoy reservoirs, located on the territory of Kyrgyzstan. In this regard, the water use limit for 2026 has been reduced from 1.2 billion to 900 million cubic metres.
WHAT IS THE OVERALL SITUATION WITH RESERVOIRS
At the same time, the minister noted that the situation with water accumulation in Kazakhstan's internal reservoirs remains stable overall.
As of 5 May, 26.2 billion cubic metres of water have been accumulated in the reservoirs of the southern regions. This is 500 million cubic metres more than during the same period last year.
The filling of reservoirs in the Balkhash-Alakol basin is 97%, the Kapshagay Reservoir is filled to 98%. In the Aral-Syr Darya basin, large reservoirs are filled to 87%, which is 13% higher than last year's level. The Shardara Reservoir is filled to 99%.
WHAT LIMITS HAVE BEEN SET FOR THE REGIONS
Taking into account the hydrological situation and the decisions of the interstate coordination water management commission, the water use limit for regular irrigation for the Kyzylorda region has been set at 3.2 billion cubic metres, and for the Turkestan region — 3.8 billion cubic metres.
CONTEXT
On 10 April 2026, at a press conference of the Central Communications Service (CCS), dedicated to the culture of water conservation, the editorial board of the FBKK asked representatives of the Ministry of Water Resources a question about the results of the work of the Tasqyn and Talsim-NG systems. However, the event's moderator rejected the question, stating that it was not related to the topic of the event.
Later, the ministry, in a written response, clarified that the Tasqyn system is used for forecasting floods based on data from the RSE «Kazhydromet», and Talsim-NG transmits hydrological data on river flow. At the same time, the agency did not provide specific indicators of the systems' effectiveness or accuracy, stating that the results are intended to be summarised after the end of the flood season.
In a repeat response, the ministry reported that Talsim-NG is undergoing its first 'combat' season on eight river basins in Kazakhstan, and an independent assessment of its effectiveness is planned to be carried out after the end of the floods.