President of Kyrgyzstan: “We will give our neighbors as much water as they need”
According to Kyrgyz state news agency Kabar, citing President Sadyr Japarov, Kyrgyzstan is going to provide Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan with irrigation water with no limitations despite its deficit in the irrigation period.
As Japarov noted, the problem with the deficit of water was caused by the silting of retention irrigation basins built many years ago. As a result, these ponds could not accumulate enough water for farmers during the irrigation period.
«This year, we are going to clean all these ponds. Moreover, I have instructed the government to build new retention irrigation ponds throughout the country. These ponds are very useful for our neighbors who live downstream. Arguments over water aren’t rare during the irrigation period because of shortages of irrigation water. If we manage to collect meltwater during this winter, our neighbors will be able to use the river water with no limitations in the spring. I mean, they are going to get more water than before,» the Kyrgyz president stated.
He also noted that during the irrigation period, Kyrgyz farmers will be able to use water from retention basins, while Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan will rely on river water.
«We are going to put melt water to good use to avoid any arguments over water. We will give our neighbors as much water as they need. That’s it. We are thinking not only about ourselves but about our neighbors as well. We are going to be neighbors forever and we have to find solutions for our common problems together,» Japarov highlighted.
The context. In August 2023, Kyrgyzstan stopped irrigation water from running to Kazakhstan, citing Kazakhstan’s limit of 3.54 million cubic meters of water reaching the ceiling. In late July, the government of Kyrgyzstan declared an emergency due to a lack of electricity within the country. One of the reasons for the emergency is a deficit of water.
How big is Kazakhstan’s dependence on water from Kyrgyzstan? Kazakhstan is heavily dependent on the Toktogul water reserve in Kyrgyzstan. For instance, resources from Kyrgyzstan accounted for 80% of irrigation water in the Jambyl region of Kazakhstan, according to a report by Vlast, a Kazakhstani media outlet and Kloop, a media outlet from Kyrgyzstan, prepared in 2021.
Why should Kyrgyzstan provide Kazakhstan with water? According to an agreement signed in 1983, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan share water from the Chu River, Talas River and Tortogul water reserve. According to Abdybai Jailoobayev, deputy head of the Water Resources Service of Kyrgyzstan, 52% of the Chu River belongs to Kyrgyzstan and 48% to Kazakhstan, while the two countries own 50% each of the Talas River. These figures are part of the old Soviet agreement on water distribution that demands Kyrgyzstan to provide Kazakhstan with water.
