By the end of 2026, the Aral Sea is planned to receive 1.2 billion cubic meters of water. Since October 2025, 1.4 billion cubic meters have already been delivered via the Syr Darya River, reports infohub.kz.
Currently, the water volume in the Northern Aral Sea is 23.5 billion cubic meters. During the growing season, 40 cubic meters per second are discharged into the sea.
By 2030, the water volume is planned to increase to 34 billion cubic meters. To achieve this, the Kokaral Dam will be reconstructed under the second phase of a joint project between Kazakhstan and the World Bank.
However, local fishermen believe that simply supplying water is not enough. At a meeting with Water Resources Minister Nurzhan Nurzhigitov, they pointed out that some farmers are exceeding water withdrawal limits and called for stricter water usage control.
“We know that water usage limits have been approved for agriculture, but there are cases where farmers do not comply with these restrictions. We are located in the lower reaches of the Syr Darya, so it is important for the entire fishing industry of the region that farms save water,” said Adilbek Aimbetov, director of the Aral Service and Procurement Center LLP.
The fishermen also proposed building a lock to increase the discharge into the Syr Darya to 100 cubic meters per second.