France to give Kazakhstan a hand in its conservation effort at Lake Balkhash

Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Water Resources is going to save Lake Balkhash, and it will do that with a plan. That plan has yet to be prepared by water resource specialists from Kazakhstan and France. They are going to analyze the quality of water and create a digital platform to monitor the lake’s water level.

As reported by the agency, Kazakhstani specialists will examine the lake in conjunction with the French Development Agency (AFD, Agence Française de Développement) and the French Geological Survey (BRGM, Bureau de Recherches Géologiques et Minières). The French side has already started collecting the necessary data.

«BRGM specialists want to visit a site to examine wells, gauging stations and irrigated fields in the lake’s basin,» the agency said.

According to Deputy Minister of Water Resources Bolat Bekniyaz, Lake Balkhash conservation efforts used to be a bit chaotic. Now, the government is going to tackle the problem very seriously.

«Previously, there was no strategy aimed at the conservation of the lake. To make our approach systematic, we are now commencing the development of a plan aimed at the preservation and protection of Balkhash,» he explained.

Last year, the Ministry of Water Resources wanted to sign a memorandum with France along with a tripartite agreement on the exploration of underground water and comprehensive scientific research of the Ili Balkhash basin, where Kazakhstan plans to build its first nuclear power plant (NPP).

On Oct. 6, 2024, a nationwide referendum was held in Kazakhstan. Voters were asked to say «yes» or «no» to the NPP. As the referendum’s results were positive for the project, Kazakhstan is expected to launch the construction in the Ulken settlement of the Almaty region, at the lake’s shore.