A unified digital passport may be created for the Irtysh River. The initiative was put forward at an international forum in Pavlodar by Qasym-Jomart Toqaev, President of Kazakhstan, according to infohub.kz.
The "Unified Digital Passport of the Irtysh" is intended to bring together, in an updatable information system, data on water depths and quality, the state of riverbanks, fish resources, navigable sections and hydraulic structures. With the new system, regions will be able to use accurate data when planning transportation, dredging and port infrastructure.
To create the system, the head of the East Kazakhstan Region proposed forming a joint working group. It could include government agencies, regions and scientific organizations from Kazakhstan and Russia.
In addition, a new port in the village of Tugyl on Lake Zaisan was presented at the forum. The project is still at the drafting stage. It will be based on an existing pier, warehouses and the 99-kilometer Tugyl–Maikapshagai railway.
The new port is expected to handle sand, granite, crushed stone and bentonite. Shipping volumes could exceed three million tonnes per navigation season, but these still need to be agreed with shippers and the economics of the routes calculated.
Earlier, Kursiv wrote that Kazakhstan, China and Russia are working on holding trilateral consultations on the joint use of the Irtysh. Experts have already drawn up an action plan that will help improve water and environmental security and develop energy infrastructure.