Bektenov Warns Farmers: No Irrigation Water If Crop Limits Are Exceeded
Photo: Pixabay, illustrative purposes
Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov issued a stark warning to Kazakhstan’s agricultural producers, stating that farms will not receive irrigation water if they expand plantings of water-intensive crops beyond approved limits, Orda.kz reports.
Bektenov instructed the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation to strictly enforce irrigation quotas and prevent any water supply above established thresholds.
If we say a farm should have 100 hectares, and if tomorrow they plant more than one hectare, we won't supply another drop of water. If tomorrow the indicators approved by the Ministry of Agriculture are violated, not a single tiyn from the budget will be reimbursed. This must be discussed openly,
the prime minister stated.
Regional akimats and relevant government bodies were ordered to ensure full compliance with crop-area diversification targets. The warning comes as the government prepares for what officials describe as an increasingly alarming water situation.
At the same meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Kanat Bozumbayev cautioned that Kazakhstan is headed into a low-water year:
The projected water inflow for the 2026 growing season is estimated at only 1–1.5 billion cubic meters, creating a risk of a deficit of up to one billion cubic meters. In a number of regions, planned targets for reducing water-intensive crops in 2025 have not been met.
According to Bozumbayev, the low-water cycle remains acute across southern Kazakhstan. Water inflow into the Shardara Reservoir has dropped by 43%, and reserves in the major reservoirs of the Naryn–Syrdarya Cascade are now 3.8 billion cubic meters below last year’s levels.
To safeguard the upcoming irrigation season, the government is implementing strict water-use controls.
On November 27, the Senate approved Kazakhstan’s ratification of the Protocol on Water and Health to the Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes — a step intended to tighten regulation and improve water management at the national level.
Original Author: Anastasia Prilepskaya
Latest news
- World’s Highest Skating Rink Cuts Parking Fees
- Kazakhstan to Use AI to Predict When Roads Need Repairs
- Kazakhstan Reappoints Heads of National Bank, KNB and Key Legal Institutions
- Kazakhstan’s Cashless Payments Top 500 Billion Tenge a Day
- Tourists Face Penalty for Painting Rock Near Lake Shalkar
- Pavlodar Refinery Delays Maintenance to Avoid Fuel Shortages
- Kazakhstan’s First Kurultai Election: What the Turnout and Exit Polls Show
- “Ask Me Next Year”: Tokayev Declines to Reveal Reelection Plans
- Tokayev Says Kazakhstan’s Vice President Will Be Named Within 10 Days
- Kazakh Uranium Giant Plans Major Sales to China and Russia
- Atyrau Oil Company Fined Nearly 1.5 Billion Tenge for Environmental Violations
- Kazakhstan’s Credit Rating Upgraded for First Time in a Decade
- While Thousands Lost Power, KEGOC Executives Received Nearly Half a Billion Tenge
- Changi Airport Group May Help Build Astana’s New Airport
- US Again Extends Deadline for Lukoil to Sell Its Assets in Kazakhstan
- Kazakhstan Extradites Business Manager From Russia in 290 Million Tenge Tax Case
- Released Amur Tiger Successfully Hunts in Kazakhstan’s Wild
- Kazakhstan Moves to Develop Critical Minerals as Global Competition Intensifies
- Another Performance by Kazakh Stand-Up Comedian Called Off
- Uzbekistan Begins Preparations for Second Nuclear Power Plant
