Kazakhstan’s Water Ministry Attracts Over $12M in Grants for Infrastructure and Environment

Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Nurlan Nurzhigitov, reported attracting more than $12 million in grant funds since the department was established in 2023. 

These funds are directed to projects to improve water infrastructure, environmental protection, and flood relief, reports Orda.kz.

Among the key projects:

• 1.35 million euros from the French Development Agency (AFD) for the development of a master plan for Lake Balkhash
• $5 million from the Kazakhmys corporation for the preservation of the Balkhash ecological system
• About $2 million from the Japanese government for a dam management project to combat flooding
• $3.5 million from the Islamic Development Bank for the study of water basins and technical equipment for KazNIIVH and Kazvodkhoz

Also in March 2025, the Ministry signed an agreement on a large-scale investment project — constructing a group water pipeline with a cascade of hydroelectric power plants on the Ugam River. South Hydro Power LLP is implementing it; the cost is 190 billion tenge.

The project will cover five districts of the Turkistan region and includes:

• A 12 km long tunnel
  
• A 40 km water pipeline
  
• A storage tank
  
• A treatment plant in the village of Janabazar
  
• A cascade of five small hydroelectric power plants

There will be a capacity of 110 million m³ of drinking water per year and 72 MW/h of electricity. It is expected to create more than 600 jobs, 160 of which are permanent.

In general, regular interaction with the Ministry’s international partners is built within the framework of the Coordinating Council of Partners for the Development of the Water Sector, created under the Ministry in September 2024 with the aim of coordinating partner projects for the development of the water sector, providing technical, financial, advisory and other assistance in the water management sector,
said the minister. 

The Ministry cooperates with international partners through the Coordination Council, created in September 2024. It includes 47 members, including ambassadors of Great Britain, France, the Netherlands, Israel, and other countries, as well as representatives of the UN, OSCE, and the EU.

The Ministry has already concluded four agreements and 19 memoranda with foreign governments and institutions to implement advanced technologies in the water industry.

Original Author: Ilya Astakhov