Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan dispute water

RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS - In Brief 26 Aug 2023 by Alex Teddy

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In July 2023 Kyrgyzstan reduced water flow to Kazakhstan. This has left beet farmers without sufficient water. Kyrgyzstan has said droughts have caused the reduced water level and that the temperature is unusually high even for summer. They note that Kyrgyz farmers have also suffered from an insufficiency of water.  Kazakh farmers are blaming the Kazakh Government. The Kirov Water Reservoir was down to 3% of its capacity on August 25. On August 20 Kazakhstan started slowing cargo traffic crossings to Kyrgyzstan. Hundreds of vehicles are waiting in line. Normally 20 vehicles are cleared an hour. Now it is 6 per day. Kyrgyzstan receives many of its goods by truck via Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan said it is searching trucks for narcotics which explains the slowdown. It is suspected that Kazakhstan is slowing border traffic to penalize Kyrgyzstan. On August 25 the President of Kyrgyzstan visited his Kazakh counterpart. Despite the similarities between the countries, relations are not cordial. Both are members of the Eurasian Economic Union. This is supposed to ensure smooth trade. In April 2023 Uzbekistan introduced water saving rules because their main rivers saw reduced water levels. The same is true in Kyrgyz rivers that flow into Kazakhstan. Kyrgyzstan said it warned the Kazakhs early in 2023 that water would be a problem but that nevertheless they have provided Kazakhstan with the minimum agreed amount of water. There has been friction between Central Asian countries over water supply since the breakup of the USSR. In Zhambyl Province, Kazakhstan there is an official water emergency. Farmers are expected to lose at least 25% of their crops. Low water levels mean less hydro-...