Russia and Kazakhstan discussed joint improvement of common rivers

Russia and Kazakhstan discussed the joint improvement of transboundary water bodies. In particular, the discussion concerned the rivers flowing through the territory of both countries. The agreement on the joint use and protection of water bodies was signed by the parties at the government level 30 years ago and it is time to update it.

— Relations between Kazakhstan and Russia are reaching a new level of cooperation, the unified roadmap that we signed in 2020 is being implemented. There are no problematic issues, but we ourselves understand that the climate is changing now. Accordingly, the hydrological regime of our transboundary rivers is changing. We must confront these challenges together. For example, floods caused certain damage to both Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation. And this year has shown that we know how to work in the context of mutually beneficial cooperation, — said Vice Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation of Kazakhstan Nurlan Aldamzharov.

The parties discussed the distribution of water taking into account the needs of regional ecosystems. In this case, relevant experience in the recovery of the Volga and Don, which flow through various territories, can be used.

— The main tasks of the commission are to ensure that no harm is done to the neighbor. Some rivers from Russia flow to Kazakhstan, and some in the opposite direction. Border territories may suffer from low water levels or floods. This year, the entire Urals and all of Siberia were flooded. And together we regulated our reservoirs to minimize the damage, — said Vadim Nikonorov, deputy head of the Federal Water Resources Agency.

He also noted that working groups have been created for each river and work is currently underway to determine the principles of water distribution between countries and to coordinate the water management balance.

— The protocol on water division on the Ural River between Russia and Kazakhstan appeared back in Soviet times. But we would like to see such protocols on all our important rivers, — he added.