From October 2024 to April 1, 2025, Uzbekistan supplied 12.6 billion cubic meters of irrigation water to Kazakhstan, 1.7 billion cubic meters more than planned. Kazakhstan’s Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Nurzhan Nurzhigitov announced this at an international climate forum in Samarkand, Uzbekistan on April 5.
According to the Kazakh Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan earlier agreed on the supply of more than 16 billion cubic meters of Uzbek water from October 2024 to October 2025.
Nurzhigitov stated that water from Uzbekistan will be used to irrigate farmland in the southern regions of Kazakhstan.
Kazakhstan’s agriculture, particularly in its arid southern regions, depends heavily on irrigation water from upstream Central Asian neighbors — Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.
“Water diplomacy and international cooperation are among the key areas of work of our ministry. The distribution and management of transboundary waters, the exchange of experience, and the joint implementation of advanced technologies play an important role in ensuring water security throughout Central Asia,” Nurzhigitov said.
The minister also stressed the importance of adapting to climate change, introducing new approaches to water resource management, and strengthening regional cooperation to jointly prevent water shortages.
The Kazakh ministry also reported that about 1.8 billion cubic meters of water received from Uzbekistan has been directed to the North Aral Sea, 120 million cubic meters more than planned.
