In the Turkestan region, the heads of the Shardara and Maktaaral production sites of the local branch of "Kazvodkhoz" have been temporarily suspended from duty. They had previously received severe reprimands.
According to the press service of the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, the reason was violations identified in the districts.
Specifically, the rice planting plan in the Turkestan region was exceeded by 3.3 times. Despite the risk of a shortage of irrigation water and a limit of 4,000 hectares, the local branch of "Kazvodkhoz" signed 1,047 contracts with farmers to irrigate 13,258 hectares of rice paddies.
Meanwhile, the head of the ministry, Nurzhan Nurzhigitov, familiarised himself with the water management situation in the Shardara district.
As it became known, to date the Kyzylkum Canal has provided irrigation for 28,366.1 hectares of land, on which rice, maize, cotton, vegetables, alfalfa, grapes, as well as orchard and melon crops are grown. Since the start of the growing season, 2,978 contracts have been signed for the supply of water via the canal.
"We are carrying out sequential water supply and explanatory work with farmers regarding the transition to night-time irrigation and crop rotation. The issue of eliminating the 'black' water market remains pertinent. For example, near the Shardara reservoir, 24 illegal pumping units were identified. Earlier, we joined forces with the region's law enforcement agencies to more effectively combat illegal water abstraction," reported Nurzhigitov.
The minister also inspected the progress of the construction of the Shardara group water supply system. The project is planned for completion next year. The length of the facility is expected to be 39.28 km.
"The project plans include the construction of pumping stations for the first and second lifts, as well as the drilling of eight wells. The water supply system, with a capacity of 12,000 cubic metres per day, will supply residents of the city of Shardara and 22 nearby settlements with water from the underground source 'Shardara-Bayirkum'," the department concluded.
Earlier, the editorial board of FBRK published material on financial violations at the Akmola branch of the RSE "Kazvodkhoz". At that time, it concerned the questionable spending of funds, the theft of a diesel power station and a trawl, as well as an unfinished dormitory for shift workers in the village of Akylbay.
Following the publication of the article, the editorial board began receiving appeals once again — this time regarding the disappearance of expensive pumps and the fact that the dormitory building still had not been handed over. The Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation commented on the information, explaining that the pumping units had not disappeared at all, but had been replaced as part of modernisation.