Kazakhstan's irrigation revolution saves billions of litres of water annually

Kazakhstan has made significant progress in modernising its irrigation systems. The Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, Nurzhan Nurzhigitov, recently updated the Mazhilis on advances towards national sustainable development targets. These efforts have led to substantial water savings and infrastructure upgrades across the country. Water-saving technologies in agriculture saved 874 million cubic metres of water in 2024 alone. This exceeded the annual target by 20%, demonstrating the effectiveness of recent investments.

The adoption of water-efficient irrigation systems has accelerated rapidly. In 2024 and 2025, 150,000 hectares were equipped each year, a fivefold increase from the pre-2024 average of 30,000 hectares annually. By the end of 2025, these systems will cover 543,500 hectares, with plans to expand to 1.3 million hectares by 2030.

Major infrastructure work has also taken place. Nearly 1,500 kilometres of irrigation canals were lined with concrete between 2024 and 2025. Mechanised canal cleaning covered 3,158 kilometres in the same period, up from just 678 kilometres in 2023. The second phase of the Southern Kazakhstan Irrigation and Drainage Improvement Project is now 93% complete, with full completion expected by late 2025.

Financial commitment to the sector has grown substantially. Total investments over the past two years reached 676.7 billion tenge, surpassing the 569 billion tenge raised between 2021 and 2023. In 2024, the water sector attracted 400 billion tenge in capital investments, 22% above the target. The ministry has also introduced a comprehensive digitisation model for irrigation, including automated control of hydraulic gates and water distribution. The expanded use of water-efficient systems and infrastructure upgrades have already delivered measurable results. With continued investment and digitisation, Kazakhstan is on track to meet its long-term irrigation and sustainability goals. The projects are set to cover over a million additional hectares by the end of the decade.