Kazakhstan ranks among the TOP 10 countries with largest freshwater areas under restoration

Kazakhstan has ranked among the top ten countries in terms of the area of freshwater ecosystems under restoration. According to a ranking published by the GEOSTATISTICA project, the country placed 6th.

Approximately 330,000 hectares of degraded lakes, rivers and wetlands are currently targeted for restoration in Kazakhstan. Steppe-dominated country, every freshwater ecosystem is of considerable importance.

Leading Countries

Indonesia ranks first by a substantial margin, with almost 6 million hectares undergoing restoration. For many years, the country has been implementing programmes to restore degraded tropical peatlands, which store vast amounts of carbon.

Poland and Benin follow, each with slightly less than one million hectares under restoration. Cameroon and Iraq complete the top five.

Kazakhstan ranks after these countries, ahead of the United States, the Netherlands, Kenya and Mongolia. The gap between Kazakhstan and the United States is relatively small, with the latter reporting 310,000 hectares in the ranking.

Part of a Global Initiative

In December 2024, at the One Water Summit in Riyadh, Kazakhstan officially joined the Freshwater Challenge, the world’s largest initiative dedicated to the restoration and protection of freshwater ecosystems. Kazakhstan was also one of the organisers of the summit.

The initiative aims to place 300,000 kilometres of rivers and 350 million hectares of wetlands under restoration by 2030. Participating countries establish their own national targets and projects, while international funds provide support for their implementation.

The Northern Aral Sea Is Recovering

The most prominent example of freshwater ecosystem restoration in Kazakhstan is the Aral Sea. In 2005, Kazakhstan constructed the Kokaral Dam to retain water from the Syr Darya River and preserve the Northern Aral Sea. At the same time, the country modernised its irrigation infrastructure to increase the volume of water reaching the sea.

The volume of water in the Northern Aral Sea increased from 18.9 billion cubic metres at the end of 2022 to 23 billion cubic metres at the end of 2025. At the January session of the National Kurultai in Kyzylorda, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev described saving the Aral Sea as a task of global significance.

The next stage is already in preparation. The second phase of the project includes reconstruction of the Kokaral Dam to raise the water level in the Northern Aral Sea to 44 metres according to the Baltic Height System.

The works are scheduled to continue through 2029.

The President emphasised that the project’s success also depends on water diplomacy, as many rivers flowing through Kazakhstan originate in neighbouring countries.

Water in the Presidential Address

Water-related issues were also highlighted in the President’s Address to the People of Kazakhstan, delivered at the end of October. The Head of State stressed that water scarcity requires comprehensive and decisive action.

The Government and regional administrations have been instructed to strengthen oversight of water consumption, reduce losses in water supply networks and prevent the misuse of drinking water, particularly for activities such as car washing. As the President stated, water must be valued in accordance with its actual cost, and the ongoing tariff reform in the water sector must be brought to completion.

Water accounting and monitoring are to be digitalised. The Government has been tasked with completing the development of the National Water Resources Information System as soon as possible. As the Head of State emphasised, “responsible water use must become a mandatory principle of economic activity”.