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At the Government session, Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation of the Republic of Kazakhstan Nurzhan Nurzhigitov reported on the ongoing work to implement projects for the construction and reconstruction of water supply facilities,
primeminister.kz reports.
He noted that at present, 26 group water pipelines are under republican ownership, supplying water to 546 villages with a total population of more than 1.3 million people.
Since 2024, as part of the transformation of Kazvodkhoz, a phased transfer of water pipelines to local executive bodies has been underway to ensure the livelihood of the population, followed by obtaining full control from water intake to the final consumer," Nurzhan Nurzhigitov said.
It was noted that in order to improve water supply infrastructure, the Ministry implemented 30 projects in 2025 for the construction and reconstruction of water supply facilities in nine regions of the country. Funds allocated from the Special State Fund made it possible to carry out a significant volume of work on the construction of water supply facilities. As a result, the established target indicators were achieved and exceeded. By the end of the year, 15 projects were completed against a planned target of nine. The allocated financial resources were utilized in full. As a result, 1,599 km of water supply networks and seven water supply facility sites were built, and water supply was provided or improved for 277 settlements with a total population of 514 thousand people, including 73 settlements that received access to centralized water supply for the first time.
In 2026, it is planned to complete and commission 12 projects in the water supply sector. This will improve access to high-quality drinking water for 142 rural settlements with a total population of about 540 thousand people. One of the key facilities will be the Shardara group water pipeline, the construction of which will be completed in July 2026 and will provide the city of Shardara with drinking water from underground sources. After the facility is commissioned, the city’s drinking water supply will be fully provided through the new pipeline. As a result, a decrease in the water volume of the Shardara Reservoir will no longer affect the provision of drinking water to residents.
At the same time, the Ministry continues work on developing design and estimate documentation for five projects in three regions of the country (North Kazakhstan, Akmola, and Turkestan regions), which provide for the construction of head facilities for large group water pipelines. The development of design and estimate documentation and receipt of expert conclusions are planned to be completed in the first half of 2026, after which the issue of financing will be considered.
In addition, as part of measures to ensure sustainable water supply, the start of development of project documentation for an investment project to construct a water pipeline with a cascade of hydroelectric power plants on the Ugam River is planned for the current year under a public-private partnership. Implementation of the project will make it possible to partially cover the deficit of energy capacities in the region, as well as provide clean drinking water to more than 1 million residents of five districts of the Turkestan region.
In order to provide the population of Atyrau and Mangystau regions with drinking water, the Ministry is working through the issue of constructing a main water pipeline from the Kokzhide, Aishuak, and North Aishuak underground water deposits to settlements in these regions. Implementation of this project will make it possible to supply drinking water to about 1.5 million people. To date, a state investment project has been developed and submitted to the Ministry of National Economy for obtaining an economic conclusion.
Nurzhan Nurzhigitov also reported that more than 4,000 underground water deposits with approved operational reserves of about 15.7 km³ per year have been explored in Kazakhstan. Currently, this resource is used only at 7-10% of the approved reserves.
Groundwater has not been sufficiently studied, a significant portion of reserves remains unexplored, and their real potential requires serious additional research and assessment. In this regard, we are beginning the development of a Concept for the Integrated Use of Groundwater," Nurzhan Nurzhigitov emphasized.
Implementation of the Concept will significantly increase the efficiency of groundwater development, ensure rational and sustainable water supply for the population and sectors of the economy, and contribute to the preservation and development of the country’s water fund.
Work is also underway in the republic to introduce water-saving technologies in the agricultural sector. In this area, the main emphasis is placed on the transition to modern, efficient irrigation methods.
This was especially evident during the 2025 vegetation period, which took place under drought conditions and increased pressure on the water management system. Nevertheless, thanks to timely management decisions and coordination at the regional level, the irrigation season was completed without critical consequences for the agricultural sector," Nurzhan Nurzhigitov added.
According to the Ministry, in 2025, 11.1 km³ of water were used to irrigate 1.2 million hectares of agricultural land. One of the factors that mitigated the critical conditions of the irrigation season was the introduction of water-saving technologies. In 2025, 153.5 thousand hectares were put into use with the application of such technologies.
At the same time, in February 2026, the Ministry will prepare updated water use limits under the most pessimistic scenario of water inflow, and the Ministry of Agriculture will adjust the crop structure in March 2026.
Along with this, an important area remains the fight against illegal use of water resources. Together with the General Prosecutor’s Office, an Action Plan has been developed. The document provides for the establishment of a Republican interagency working group involving law enforcement and other state bodies to effectively combat water theft and illegal water use.
It was noted that the new Water Code закрепил requirements for a phased transition of industrial enterprises to recycled and circulating water supply systems. A seven-year period has been allocated for this, including a two-year transition period and five years for implementation of plans. This decision will allow, by 2030, to more than double the share of recycled and circulating water use from 13% to 28%, saving about 1.5 billion cubic meters of water.
In addition, a set of systemic measures aimed at introducing digital technologies in the sector is currently being implemented in the republic. Since the beginning of the current year, the Ministry has been transitioning to an electronic format for concluding water supply contracts with farmers. This system covers the full cycle of water supply for agricultural producers, from submitting an application and concluding a contract to accurate accounting of actual water consumption and subsequent payment. Implementation of the system makes it possible to eliminate discrepancies in data, optimize administrative processes, minimize the human factor, and ensure objectivity in the distribution of water resources and settlements for water use.
