France to Help Kazakhstan Preserve Lake Balkhash

Kazakhstan and France signed an agreement on joint work to preserve Lake Balkhash at the international One Water Summit in Saudi Arabia, Orda.kz reports.

The document was signed by the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the French Development Agency (AFD), and the French Bureau of Geological and Mining Research (BRGM).

First Vice Minister Bolat Bekniyaz represented Kazakhstan.

The agreements specify that France will provide a grant of 1.35 million euros to help manage the water resources of Balkhash. Specialists will research the lake basin and develop a plan for its conservation until 2040.

This plan will include measures to protect the water and prevent environmental problems.

In September, reports emerged that Kazakhstan and China were working on an agreement to divide transboundary river waters to prevent the shallowing of Balkhash.

The Ministry of Water Resources reported that more than 12 billion cubic meters of water had been sent to the lake this year. In April, the water level in Balkhash rose by 15 centimeters.

Original Author: Artem Volkov