Azerbaijan, Baku, Oct. 7 / Trend E. Kosolapova/
Kazakhstan is considering the possibility of building of new canal from the rivers Irtysh to Ishim through the city of Astana, Environment Minister Nurlan Kapparov said on Monday, speaking in the Majilis (Parliament's lower chamber), Novosti-Kazakhstan reported.
"If we build this waterway, the amount of supplied water will increase up to one billion cubic meters per year," Kapparov said.
The canal will be 340 kilometres long and will supply water to 30 settlements. The project cost will hit about $500 billion tenge ($3.3 billion).
According to the minister, four reservoirs will be built along the canal.
Moreover, Kazakhstan is considering a project of constructing new branch canals from the existing Irtysh-Karaganda one. This project would be worth 104 billion tenge ($700 million).
According to Kapparov, the governments will choose one of these two projects.