Water-Brief Kazakhstan Changing into Ever Extra Dependent On Flows From Neighboring International locations – OpEd

Seven of the eight water basins of already water-short Kazakhstan are depending on flows of water from overseas international locations, and over the following twenty years, six of those will nonetheless be affected by critical drought and desertification, a development that units the stage for financial hardship inside Kazakhstan and critical conflicts with its neighbors.

These dire penalties, Rhythm of Eurasia analyst Sergey Smirnov says, are described in official Kazakhstan information and are compounded by the shortage of a critical coverage to deal with water shortages, the absence of a single forms chargeable for managing water, and Astana’s earlier choice to cease coaching specialists on this space.

Whereas that call was lately reversed, the analyst says, there are clearly too few consultants on the bottom; and so they have fewer alternatives to use what data they’ve on condition that water administration amenities have bene in the reduction of in Kazakhstan extra since 1991 than throughout World Struggle II (ritmeurasia.org/information–2023-07-25–vysyhajuschij-kazahstan-67714).

As a substitute of going through the issue head on and developing with a coverage that may guarantee the higher use of water for agriculture and extra dependable provides to trade and the inhabitants, Astana has acted on the premise of the precept that if it raises costs, it can encourage everybody to make use of much less water.

However that technique has two vital drawbacks. On the one hand, it impoverishes the inhabitants, particularly in rural areas, with out offering any hope that the scenario will get higher. And on the opposite, it enriches corrupt officers who thus have even much less incentive to attempt to remedy Kazakhstan’s drift towards desertification.