According to Yersayin Nagaspayev, Minister of Industry and Construction of the Republic of Kazakhstan, water supply coverage currently stands at 99.3% in urban areas and 97.5% in rural areas, primeminister.kz reports.
The Minister noted that ten regions have already achieved 100% water supply coverage. These include the Almaty, Aktobe, Atyrau, West Kazakhstan, Kyzylorda, Mangystau, North Kazakhstan, and Turkistan regions, as well as the Zhetysu and Ulytau regions for cities, and Mangystau Region for rural areas.
He then addressed the situation with urban water supply. Of Kazakhstan’s 90 cities, 73 already have full access to drinking water. The remaining 17 cities-including Astana, Almaty, Shymkent, Kosshy, Yereymentau, Taraz, Pavlodar, Ust-Kamenogorsk, Kokshetau, Karaganda, Temirtau, Tobol, Makinsk, Aksu, Semey, Arkalyk, and Shu-are expected to reach full coverage by the end of the year.
Regarding rural areas, the Minister reported that 5,679 out of 6,148 villages have access to water supply services. Of these, 4,420 villages are connected to centralized systems, while 999 are equipped with modular block units. In 260 sparsely populated settlements, water is provided via wells and boreholes, and in remote villages, through water delivery. Work is currently underway in the remaining 469 villages: 245 will be connected to centralized systems using funds from the republican budget and the Special State Fund, while 224 will receive modular block units funded by local budgets.
Yersayin Nagaspayev stated that this year, 188 billion tenge has been allocated from the republican budget and the Special State Fund for the implementation of 445 projects. He added that local executive bodies are actively engaged in construction and installation works.
The Minister emphasized that measures have also been taken to improve the quality of water supply services. More than 8,500 km of existing networks have been reconstructed and expanded. Issues related to drinking water shortages and quality have been addressed in several major cities through the construction and modernization of water treatment facilities.
As examples, he cited the construction of a pumping and filtration station and the reconstruction of a main water pipeline in Astana, the completion of filter station upgrades in Atyrau, and the modernization of water treatment facilities in Kostanay and Kokshetau.
Special attention was given to addressing the water deficit in Mangystau Region, which is under the direct supervision of the Head of State. The Minister stated that several priority infrastructure facilities have been commissioned over the past four years:
- The capacity of the Caspian desalination plant was increased to 40,000 cubic meters per day.
- A desalination plant with a capacity of 12,000 cubic meters per day was built in Aktau.
- Desalination units were launched in the villages of Sayyn Shapagatov and Akshukur (7,000 m³/day) and in Fort-Shevchenko (5,000 m³/day).
- A new desalination plant with a capacity of 50,000 m³/day will be commissioned in the Kendirli area of Zhanaozen in Q3 2025.
The Minister acknowledged that achieving 100% drinking water supply remains an ongoing challenge due to population growth and the annual deterioration of pipeline networks. He assured that the work would continue under future programs and stressed the need to strengthen regional oversight to ensure all projects are completed on schedule. He also urged that funds for project co-financing and installation of block units be included in local budget adjustments.
The Ministry is also working on the modernization of wastewater systems, including sewage treatment facilities. He noted that most facilities were built in the 1950s-1960s, function inefficiently, and have an average equipment wear rate of 65%. This year, 25 billion tenge has been allocated from the republican budget for wastewater infrastructure, including facilities in Kyzylorda and Lenger. In addition, four projects are underway in Aktau, Atyrau, Karkaralinsk, and Karazhal.
He clarified that under the National Project "Modernization of Utility and Energy Sectors," plans are in place to upgrade wastewater treatment facilities in 45 cities, 2,800 km of sewerage networks, and 5,000 km of water supply networks.
To ensure environmental safety in populated areas, priority for modernization works will be given to wastewater infrastructure. The Minister stated that approaches to the design, construction, and operation of treatment facilities are being revised, and a review of planned projects is underway. To improve efficiency, a Technical Operator institution has been introduced to support projects at all stages-from reviewing applications from natural monopoly entities to ongoing monitoring, ensuring the use of domestically produced equipment. The Minister expressed confidence that these steps would minimize the risk of project errors that lead to cost overruns, delays, and reduced effectiveness.
He emphasized that without digitalization, the modernization of water infrastructure cannot achieve the desired results in terms of efficiency and control. Therefore, the National Project provides 29 billion tenge for the implementation of SCADA systems-modern digital tools for pressure control, leak detection, water flow management, and data collection for planned network development. Additionally, a unified secure digital platform is being developed for monitoring and managing water supply and wastewater facilities. This platform will ensure full integration of sector participants through secure communication channels, guarantee data protection, and strengthen system resilience through backup infrastructure.
All these measures, the Minister stated, will form the foundation for sustainable modernization of the sector. By 2029, as part of the National Project, large-scale infrastructure renewal is planned, with the aim of reducing network deterioration rates-from 39% to 33% for water supply systems, and from 55% to 41% for wastewater systems.
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