Black Market for Water: Why Fields Lack Water in Kazakhstan — and Who’s to Blame

When water runs short, it begins to trickle into gray schemes, and fields wither from delays in irrigation. That’s exactly what happened in May 2025 in the village of Aqshi, Ile district, Almaty region — hundreds of hectares of farmland scorched under the blazing sun, never receiving life-saving water from the Kurty reservoir.

The result: millions in losses for farmers. And this isn’t an isolated case. 

Orda.kz looks into what authorities are saying and who’s responsible.

Vice Minister of Agriculture Azat Sultanov admits that such cases have long become commonplace.

Where water is scarce — or secretly sold — an entire black market emerges.

We have a serious water problem. In the Jambyl region, when our water didn’t arrive, there were also major losses — the fields burned. A paradoxical situation has developed: the total irrigated area is around 160,000 hectares, yet contracts only cover 90,000 hectares. That’s essentially a black market for water,Sultanov says. 

In theory, farmers must sign contracts with Kazvodkhoz and receive irrigation water based on approved limits. In practice, many farms fall outside the system — some miss deadlines, some rely on outdated agreements, and others get water informally through personal connections.

Why the Fields Went Dry

A tense water situation had already arisen in Aqshi, Ile district, where in late April to early May — right in the middle of sowing season — dozens of farmers stood beside dry canals and ruined crops, waiting for water that was supposed to come from the Kurty reservoir.

According to the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, the reservoir had sufficient reserves. As of late May, it held 98.4 million cubic meters, with a design capacity of 120 million.

But delivering water to remote fields requires large-volume collective requests; otherwise, low pressure results in water loss along the canals. In Aqshi, the submitted request was just 0.2 m³/s, but at least 6 m³/s was needed.

As a result, water wasn’t released, and when the heat hit, seedlings were lost.

The systemic issue, says Sultanov, is that farmers and cooperatives don’t always work together as a unified mechanism. If not everyone signs contracts or contributes to the total volume, the pipe stays closed, and the losses affect everyone.

It's like a residential building. For example, heat is being supplied, and some residents haven’t signed contracts while others have. But there’s only one pipe — you can’t just shut it off. So the energy provider may not connect the building at all until the issue is sorted. They need to sort it out among themselves,the vice minister explains. 

Main canal maintenance falls under the D. Kunayev BAC branch of the RSE “Kazvodkhoz.” On-farm distribution networks are the responsibility of local Akimats and water user cooperatives.

The problem is that these structures don’t always operate in sync. Farmers end up stuck between two sides — there’s a canal, but no water.

It’s extremely risky to leave fields without irrigation, especially with this weather. The entire south, including the Almaty region, relies heavily on irrigation. Even a small delay or failure to irrigate on time can lead to major losses. We saw this in Jambyl Region when water didn’t arrive,Sultanov warns. 

How to Avoid Water Shortages: Ministry Guidelines

To avoid losing crops due to bureaucracy or black-market issues, the Ministry of Water urges farmers to follow a strict process:

Sign contracts on time. Water won’t be supplied without a contract. To sign one, farmers need technical specifications, land ownership documents, a company charter (for legal entities), and other relevant documents. These go to the district department head, who forwards them to the water use office for legal and technical approval.

Develop a detailed water use plan. The plan must be broken down by month and decade: what crops are being grown, on how many hectares, how much water is needed, and when.

Submit a complete application early. Low-pressure, last-minute requests don’t work. The Ministry states: “To deliver irrigation water with minimal losses, collective requests of 6.0 m³/s are required.” A solo 0.2 m³/s request will get ignored.

Pay on time. Once the water supply act is signed, the farmer receives an invoice — it can be paid via a banking app. If someone in the cooperative doesn’t pay, Kazvodkhoz can shut off water for the entire group. 

Keep the canals in working condition. The BAC branch is responsible for the main canals, while local cooperatives or the Akimat oversee the on-farm networks. If there’s a leak or silt buildup, it must be dealt with quickly — otherwise, even when water is supplied, it won’t reach its destination.

Stay informed at public hearings. Each year, the BAC branch and local authorities are required to hold meetings with farmers to discuss changes in tariffs, new contract requirements, and water delivery procedures. 

Many farmers skip these meetings.

Farmers Won't Be Left on Their Own

After multiple scandals, the Ministry of Water Resources has pledged stricter oversight of water supply and usage. Meters and formal contracts will now be mandatory — no more water without paperwork.

The Ministry of Water is now taking a much tougher stance on regulating water use. First, everything must be metered — how much water is being delivered. Second, they sign contracts with everyone because everything should be transparent. We had the same issue in Yenbekshikazakh district: they didn’t want to sign contracts and asked us to speed things up — so we ended up releasing water manually,explains Azat Sultanov. 

The Ministry says it follows protocol strictly. Applications are submitted in advance, and irrigation water is supplied daily:

Irrigation water is provided from the moment the contract is signed and guaranteed through the end of the growing season. 

Officials claim that if drought damage is officially recognized, the state will compensate for the losses. Insurance programs also exist, including for excess or insufficient moisture. The key is not to stay silent: farmers must report issues to the Akimat.

Farmers won’t be left on their own. Even when the state technically isn’t required to respond, we step in. The government acted, and compensation was paid to all affected farmers,Sultanov assures. 

Many farmers don’t even know these options exist.

The Ministry of Agriculture admits that since switching to electronic applications, outreach to farmers has weakened. Now, local Akims have a KPI: to personally deliver information to every field and every farm.

The reconstruction of canals, new dams, and mandatory metering are all intended to eliminate the black market for water. But until the system truly starts working, farmers are left wondering — will the water arrive in time?

We recently reported on farms in the Talgar district, where for the second summer in a row, villagers have struggled to properly irrigate their fields and gardens, all due to the mismanaged reconstruction of the R-3 irrigation canal.  

Original Author: Alina Pak