KazNARU hosted a meeting of experts to review the draft of a new ‘Water Code’

Professor Dr.?Tlektes Isabayevich Yespolov, Rector of the Kazakh National Agrarian Research University

The President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, directed officials and experts to develop a new draft of the Country's Water Code at a special meeting held in February 2022. He noted that the 2003 Water Code of Kazakhstan regulates only the economic use of water.?

“The existing Code does not have clear clauses on the effective use of water and the preservation of water resources. Changing weather conditions have resulted in problems in the water sector that might create hindrances in Kazakhstan's socio-economic development", said the President.?

Water Hub, the International Research Center at the Kazakh National Agrarian Research University (KazNARU), organized a roundtable meeting on February 23, 2022. The purpose was to discuss the draft of a new ‘Water Code’ in light of President Tokayev’s instructions.??

Madi Akhmetov, a member of the Committee on Ecology and Nature Management of the Majilis of the Parliament of Kazakhstan, and well-known expert on water issues, KazNARU scientists and relevant departmental heads, representatives of the Institute of Geography and Water Security, Kazakh Water Research Institute after U.M.Akhmedsafin, International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea in Kazakhstan, National Water Management Companies and Basin Inspectorates participated in the Roundtable.??

As KazNARU Rector and as a scientist, I have been dealing with water resources management for many years therefore hosting and moderating a roundtable meeting on the new Water Code at KazNARU was a pleasure, an honor. I fully supported the opinions of experts and participants that the current Water Code requires radical changes taking into account modern trends. In my comments, I proposed that the draft concept of the Water Code should be discussed with the Kazakhstani public.?

Professor Dr. Anatoly Ryabtsev, the Director of KazNARU Water Hub, presented a report on the main provisions of the Draft Concept at the Roundtable.??

Majilis deputy Madi Akhmetov highlighted the importance of the Water Code for Kazakhstan and appreciated the participants for holding detailed discussions on the draft concept of the Water Code.?

Due to the urgency of the issue, the participants of the roundtable meeting, Vladislav Bensman, a member of the Environmental Council of 'Nur Otan' party, Malik Burlibayev, doctor of technical sciences and an academician of ROS. ABK Amerhan Kenshimov, a candidate in technical sciences, famous specialist Igor Petrakov; Anara Tleusova, an environmental expert at 'Kazakhmys Corporation', and others suggested that the draft concept of the Water Code should be updated in line with the norms of the international law.

It is worth mentioning that Kazakhstan's current Water Code was changed 72 times. The existing Code focuses on the economic use of water resources. It does not take into account the means of achieving economic benefits such as water conservation and incentives for economical water use.?

We must treat water for its economic value and consider it as a product. For example, each used cubic meter of water in Japan brings 53.5 USD and 23.5 USD to the United States. In Kazakhstan, however, water brings only 8.7 USD.

Kazakhstan possesses sufficiently large natural resources. However, in terms of water availability, Kazakhstan is one of the most water-deficient countries on the Eurasian continent. Up to 90% of the annual runoff of steppe rivers occurs in spring, and up to 70% of the runoff of mountain rivers takes place in summer.?

The World Bank has estimated that due to the climatic characteristics of Kazakhstan, the level of water stress is 31% in the country.?

Experts forecast that in the coming years, Kazakhstan may face serious water shortages, especially in densely populated regions of the country that depend on transboundary flowing rivers. Such water dependence on the Aral-Syrdarya River is 89%, 79% on Zhaiyk-Caspian, and 76 % on the Shu-Talas River.?

It is necessary to take into account the environmental disasters associated with the depletion of water resources in Kazakhstan. With the drying of the Aral Sea, Balkhash Lake may turn into an ecological disaster zone. Ile-Balkhash and Zhaik-Caspian basins are at a crisis level. A risky situation is developing on the Irtysh River as well.?

Nearly 40% of Kazakhstan's water resources originate outside its territory. Weak international interaction and cooperation with countries in the upper reaches of transboundary rivers may have consequences for Kazakhstan therefore developing and enhancing regional cooperation regarding water sources is crucial.

There is a lack of state information support for water supply activities in Kazakhstan due to insufficient infrastructure, automated monitoring systems, and weak water accounting. For example, there are only 31 gauging stations for 800 rivers in Almaty province.

In Kazakhstan, agriculture is the main water consumer. Five percent of the land is irrigated and 95% is rain-fed. About 70% of exploited surface water resources are used for irrigation of irrigated lands through irrigation and drainage systems. In agriculture, water losses reach up to 50-60% due to a lack of funds.

Low cost of water supply service.?

The canal water supply tariff has increased from 1.8 to 2.0 tenge per cubic meter of water in Kazakhstan since May 1, 2021, which is less than 1% of the cost of production of major crops. A decree of the Government of Kazakhstan was adopted on December 28, 2018, to bring the irrigation water tariff to 4% within 10 years as a share of production costs, which will improve the operation of irrigation facilities in agriculture.

Groundwater is also a key source of irrigation in Kazakhstan. The State provides subsidies for electric power for water intake. Specialists believe that water supply tariffs in Kazakhstan are very low compared to other countries. However, a lower water supply tariff should not create an illusion of free and unlimited water resources.

There is multi-subjectivity in the sphere of water resources management in Kazakhstan. Nine state agencies carry out the management of the Water Fund of Kazakhstan. Each of these agencies is interested in its sphere of water relations. It leads to inconsistent actions of state bodies and violates responsibility boundaries and the principles of their interaction.?

The world experience shows that an independent specialized ministry or interdepartmental coordinating body should function for effective water resources management. For example, the Republic of Uzbekistan has a separate Ministry of Water Resources.

There are problems with state control in water resources management, such as the insufficient competence of the central state body responsible for the state management of the Water Fund, and the lack of program documents for water resources management in the country and eight basins. Systematic imposition of a moratorium on inspections of business entities interferes with control over the safety of hydraulic structures and rational water use.?

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In the new Water Code, it is necessary to:

- Introduce a system of efficient water consumption by individuals and businesses.?

- Change approaches to water management. As the draft concept states, "Water is a fundamental element of the natural environment. It is necessary for all kinds of human economic activity".;

- Legislate the powers of an interdepartmental body to coordinate the activities of all water relations entities for the rational and equitable use of water resources;

- Revise the functions of public control in the field of control and protection of the Water Fund, define the rights and powers at the legislative level:

- Reconsider the allocation of water resources between sectors of the economy;

- Introduce water-saving technologies in agriculture to reduce water consumption in the water consumer system for the benefit of others, primarily the environment;

- Create adequate databases on the results of hydrological system monitoring to assess the operation of water systems;

- Revise and legally divide spheres of state control in water resources management, regulate the work of state control for timely suppression and prevention of violations of water legislation;

- Regulate issues of public relations in the field of design, construction, reconstruction, and operation of irrigation and drainage systems, ownership and management of these systems, reclamation state of irrigated lands, status and authority of water user associations by separate legislation;?

- Develop a pricing system that will become an incentive to improve the efficiency of water use;

- Revise government funding and increase the investment appeal of the industry;?

- Address the deterioration of water infrastructure;

- Strengthen the training of personnel for this sphere and its scientific support;

- To carry out a qualitative examination of projects for the construction, operation, and maintenance of water facilities;

- Increase the degree of digitalization and automation of the industry.?

During the roundtable meeting, the experts discussed the main issues of the Water Code concept, shared their suggestions, and got acquainted with the scientific and innovation infrastructure of KazNARU, in particular with the Wageningen University Institute, the Laboratory of Microchannel Multiplication, Kazakhstan-Japan Innovation Center, Kazakhstan-Belarus Agricultural Engineering Innovation Center, Reference Laboratory of Milk and Dairy Products, International Research Center - Water Hub, etc.?

Majilis deputy Madi Akhmetov, praised the scientific and educational activities of KazNARU and acknowledged that the University provides the best conditions for training specialists in water resources management and has been conducting scientific research for the agro-industrial complex of Kazakhstan.?

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