China and Kazakhstan have begun developing a draft agreement on the apportionment of water in transboundary rivers, Kazakhstan’s First Vice Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Nurlan Aldamzharov reported during a briefing at the Central Communications Service.
The official said that negotiations between the countries have moved to practical matters — the parties are now preparing an intergovernmental agreement.
«We have now embarked on a crucial stage of cooperation — preparing a draft agreement between the governments of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the People’s Republic of China on water apportionment in transboundary rivers,» Aldamzharov stated.
The official said that the understandings already reached allow for maintaining a stable water regime on the Ili River, which is critical for the ecological balance in the southeastern part of the country.
«Over the past two years, around 30 billion cubic meters of water have been delivered to Lake Balkhash, the level of which has been maintained at 341 meters according to the Baltic Normal Height System,» Aldamzharov highlighted.
