Water Level in the North Aral Sea May Rise to 44 Meters

Kazakhstan, in cooperation with the World Bank, plans to raise the water level in the North Aral Sea to 44 meters according to the Baltic height system. This project aims to further increase the water volume in the northern part of the Aral Sea and improve the ecological situation. This was reported by the press service of the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan.

As noted, over the past 20 years, the area of the North Aral Sea has expanded by 36 percent. During the same period, the water volume has also nearly doubled, reaching 23.4 billion cubic meters. At the same time, the level of water mineralization has halved.

In the next stage of the project, it is planned to reconstruct the Kokaral Dam, which is considered one of the most important structures in restoring the Aral Sea. Within the framework of the project developed in cooperation with the World Bank, it is envisaged to raise the water level to 44 meters according to the Baltic system.

According to calculations, over the next 5–6 years, it is planned to increase the area of the North Aral Sea to 3.9 thousand square kilometers and the water volume in it to 34 billion cubic meters. This, in turn, is expected to serve to further improve the environmental conditions in the sea region.

At the same time, Kazakhstan is continuing greening and forest-amelioration works on the dried-up bed of the Aral Sea. It is reported that forest-amelioration measures have been carried out on an area of 1.1 million hectares so far.

To cover the dried-up seabed with vegetation, 3.4 thousand tons of saxaul and salt-tolerant plant seeds have been sown. Additionally, 56.2 million saxaul seedlings have been planted.

A special nursery has also been established to grow the seedlings. Covering an area of 33 hectares, this nursery has the capacity to produce 3 million seedlings annually.

Along with the Aral Sea, Kazakhstan is also paying attention to the ecological state of the Caspian Sea. The country is preparing an interstate program to preserve the Caspian Sea.

In this program, special attention is planned to be paid to issues such as the drop in the Caspian Sea level, preservation of biodiversity, combating water pollution, and improving the environmental monitoring system.

Thus, Kazakhstan is implementing a number of projects aimed at improving the ecological condition of the Aral and Caspian seas, conserving water resources, and restoring the natural environment in these regions.