40 Percent of Almaty Suffering Water Shortages During Periods of Peak Use, Kazakhstan Officials Acknowledge

Paul Goble

            Staunton, June 29 – That Central Asia is suffering from a water shortage is universally acknowledged but that this shortage is so severe that it may require the evacuation of people from its largest cities or lead millions of residents to flee to neighboring countries remains a matter of dispute.

            Now, officials in Kazakhstan have acknowledged just how serious the problem is by reporting that “about 40 percent” of Almaty, that country’s largest city, is already suffering from a water shortage during periods of peak loads” (vlast.kz/novosti/69932-na-okolo-40-territorij-almaty-est-deficit-vody-v-casy-pikovoj-nagruzki.html).

            Among the steps the authorities say they plan to take to ensure “the comprehensive modernization of the water supply and sanitation system” are new filtration stations, replacement of more than 2450 km of water networks, expansion of sewage treatment by 50 percent, and the introduction of digital monitoring.

            If all those steps are taken, Kazakhstan may be able to avoid having to evacuate people from its metropolis and the embarrassment of seeing ever more  Kazakhs flee to other countries not just to earn money but to have access to sufficient water supplies to survive.

            But if the authorities aren’t able to take all of these steps, and they will be more expensive and take years to introduce, the apocalyptic predictions that some have made may prove to be the case. (On these all too real risks, see jamestown.org/growing-water-shortages-in-central-asia-threaten-region-and-its-neighbors/.)