BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 13. Long-term dynamics of river flow indicate a decrease in water resources due to the small amount of local and transboundary flows, Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Water Resources of Kazakh Ministry of Ecology, Geology and Natural Resources Dosbol Bekmagambetov said, Trend reports via Kazakh media.
Bekmagambetov said this during his speech about the current situation in the sphere of water resources in Kazakhstan at a briefing of the Central Communications Service under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
"If in the 2000s the average long-term river flow was 120 cubic kilometers, now it is about 102 cubic kilometers. This is due to a change in climate and anthropogenic factors," Bekmagambetov said.
According to him, a further reduction in river flow to 99.4 cubic kilometers is predicted by 2030.
The shortage of water resources exceeds 17 cubic kilometers currently, and it is forcibly covered by the needs of aquatic ecosystems.
"The shortage of water resources in Kazakhstan may amount to 23.2 cubic kilometers by 2030, under the conditions of reduction of water resources and growth of water use for the needs of population, economy and ecology," Bekmagambetov added.