Water volume in the Northern Aral Sea has increased to 21.4 billion cubic meters
The Northern Aral Sea has seen an increase in its water volume, with 1.1 billion cubic meters entering its basin, bringing the total volume to 21.4 billion cubic meters, reported the Kazakh Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation on June 24.
During the 86th meeting of the Interstate Commission for Water Coordination, involving Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, it was agreed to direct 997 million cubic meters of water into the Northern Aral Sea throughout the irrigation season, ensuring an inflow of at least 30 cubic meters per second.
Currently, the sea is receiving 50 cubic meters of water per second, a significant increase compared to the previous year's rate of six cubic meters per second.
The completion of the Kokaral dam, which separates the Northern Aral Sea from the southern part, has been instrumental in raising water levels.
Moldir Abdualiyeva, spokesperson for the ministry, highlighted that 46.6 billion cubic meters of water have flowed into the Northern Aral Sea from the Syrdarya River since the dam became operational.
“Over the past seven years, 13.3 billion cubic meters of water have been replenished. In recent years, the volume of water in the Northern Aral has been decreasing. Still, since the beginning of 2024 it has started to grow again, reaching 21.4 billion cubic meters today,” said Abdualiyeva.(Source:astanatimes)
