World Bank to support Kazakhstan in restoring the Aral Sea

Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, jointly with the World Bank, has developed the second phase of the project to restore the Aral Sea. The reconstruction of the Kokaral Dike is planned within the project to raise the water level to 44 meters according to the Baltic Normal Height System.

The project is expected to increase the water body area to 3,900 square kilometers and the water volume to 34 billion cubic meters.

The ministry is also developing over 160 design specifications and cost estimates to upgrade and automate irrigation systems in the Aral–Syrdarya basin in the Turkestan and Kyzylorda regions, enabling more efficient water use and the transfer of surplus water to the North Aral Sea.

Currently, the ministry is preparing to submit the project for consideration by the Coordination Council for Cooperation with International Financial Organizations, chaired by PM Olzhas Bektenov. The project is scheduled for completion by 2029.

Notably, over the past three years, the North Aral Sea water inflow has totaled more than six billion cubic meters, increasing the water volume from 18.9 billion cubic meters to 23 billion between 2022 and 2025.