WNAM REPORT: Kazakhstan and the World Bank have discussed the implementation of the second phase of the North Aral Sea preservation project.
The issue was discussed at a meeting between Nurzhan Nurzhigitov, Kazakhstan’s Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, and Sameh Wahba, World Bank’s Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia, Kyzylorda region.
According to Nurzhigitov, the Ministry has nearly completed the development of a feasibility study for the project’s second phase. In the second phase, the Ministry plans to reconstruct the Kokaral Dam and raise water level to 44 meters as per the Baltic Elevation System, as well as to build a hydraulic structure near Amanotkel village to stabilize water resources in lake systems of Akshatau and Kamystybas of Aral district.
As a result, the area of the water surface of the North Aral Sea will expand to 3,913 square kilometers, and the volume of water will reach 34 cubic kilometers. Experts say it will take from 4 to 5 years to replenish the sea with water.
This option of conserving the sea is based on the results of analysis and assessment of average annual volumes of water inflow along the Syr Darya River basin from 1913 to 2019 and physical parameters of water ponds.
“We have reviewed various options of the project’s implementation. Since the year beginning, we have held several meetings with the regional authorities and administration of Aral district. During my working trip to the region, I met local public, deputies of the Parliament, designers, water sector veterans and other interested governmental agencies. The selected option seems to be the most optimal in terms of timing and also takes into account the real situation in the Syr Darya River basin,” Minister Nurzhigitov says.
For his part, Sameh Wahba said that the World Bank is interested in further participation in the North Aral Sea conservation.
It should be reminded that the World Bank allocated a grant to Kazakhstan for the development of the project’s feasibility study.
“Today we have visited the fish processing plant and saw how many jobs will be generated in the region after the project’s implementation. There will also be employment opportunities in other sectors, including agriculture, cattle-breeding and tourism. Thus, the project will let create new economic opportunities for the region. The North Aral Sea conservation project is very important, as it sets an example of restoration of the entire eco-system,” he noted.
The expertise on the project’s feasibility study will be ready by December 2025.
The North Aral Sea conservation project sets a goal to increase the water volume and improve its quality in the sea, to restore the Syr Darya River delta, to decrease salt removal from the sea bottom, to improve the management of the North Aral Sea water resources, to develop fishery in Kyzylorda region and to improve the quality of the residents’ life.
Earlier it was reported, that as a result of implementation of the project’s first phase, the volume of water in the sea increased by 42% having reached 27 billion cubic meters. Water salinity level reduced almost fourfold, while the annual fishery volumes reached nearly 8,000 tons.
