The latest analysis of water governance in Kazakhstan was conducted in 2012 as part of the regional project "Promoting IWRM and Facilitating Cross-border Dialogue in Central Asia" funded by UNDP, the EU, Finland, and OSCE ENVSEC programme. The objective was to assess progress on IWRM and identify areas for improvement in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. The analysis revealed that the key issue in the region was inefficient water resources management, rather than water scarcity. Weaknesses in the governance structure were identified, and recommendations were developed for amending the Water Code of Kazakhstan (Kazakhstan: Analysis of legal challenges to the water governance).
In response to water challenges, Kazakhstan adopted the National Development Plan until 2025 in 2021, which prioritized updating the legal framework for water management. Consequently, Kazakhstan initiated the development of a new Water Code in 2021. The updated provisions of the Water Code are expected to address climate change impacts, irrational water use, and pollution, while also requiring the development of river basin management plans and a national plan for IWRM.
In 2021, the development of an action plan for the protection and restoration of the aquatic ecosystem of Balkhash Lake commenced. The plan, valid until 2025, aims to conserve the basin ecosystem, stabilize the hydrological regime of Lake Balkhash, enhance the efficiency and rational use of water resources, strengthen transboundary water cooperation, and build capacity (CARAWAN-Net, 2022).
Regarding transboundary cooperation, the construction of the Dostyk hydrosystem in the Khorgos River, a tributary of the Ili-Balkhash basin, serves as a notable example. Initial work began in 2002 when Kazakhstan and China signed an agreement on water use distribution and established a joint commission. Project design work commenced in 2005, with the final agreement on hydrosystem construction reached in November 2008 during a meeting of the Kazakh-Chinese joint commission on transboundary river use and protection. The joint Kazakh-Chinese hydrosystem "Dostyk" was constructed between 2011 and 2013, leading to the initiation of a Chinese-Kazakh joint water intake project on the Khorgos River in April 2011 (Figure 3).
Figure 3. Hydrosystem “Dostyk” on Khorgos transboundary river. Source: Tengrinews, 2013.
To further develop the Dostyk hydrosystem, the riparian states commissioned the construction of an additional water reservoir. Over the past three years, there has been a limited water influx from China at this hydrosystem, posing a pressing problem for farmers. Constructing a reservoir on the Khorgos River is seen as a solution to ensure sufficient water for irrigation purposes. The project design has been overseen by the Ministry of Ecology of the Republic of Kazakhstan in collaboration with local water authorities (Eldala, 2021).