The sea is returning: the Northern Aral Sea has accumulated a record volume of water in recent years, reports infohub.kz.
The Northern Aral Sea continues to reclaim its shores from the desert. Over the past four years, the water volume has increased by nearly five billion cubic meters, reaching 23.4 billion cubic meters.
The main driver of this process has been delicate "water diplomacy" and increased inflow from the Syr Darya River. Since October of last year, 1.2 billion cubic meters of water have been redirected into the sea.
Currently, the inflow into the Northern Aral Sea is 14 cubic meters per second, but by the end of the growing season, this figure is planned to be increased severalfold, to 100-150 cubic meters per second.
The stable inflow of water resources is the result not only of abundant precipitation but also of complex interstate agreements. A decisive step was the signing of an agreement with Uzbekistan on the joint management of transboundary water bodies, negotiations on which lasted a full ten years.
"To preserve the Northern Aral Sea, a number of projects are being implemented, including the automation of water accounting in the Syr Darya River basin and the reconstruction of hydraulic structures. Cooperation with neighboring states is also being strengthened," commented Nurlan Aldamzharov, First Vice Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation.
The figures show a steady annual increase in the volume of the Northern Aral Sea: 2022 - 18.9 billion m³, 2023 - 20.49 billion m³, 2024 - 22.08 billion m³, 2025 - 22.85 billion m³, August 2026 - 23.40 billion m³.
Ahead lies a key stage in the restoration of the water body - the second phase of the large-scale project to preserve the Northern Aral Sea. It includes the reconstruction of the Kokaral Dam. This will raise the water level to 44 meters above the Baltic Sea level, increase the sea surface area to 3,913 square kilometers, and bring the total water volume to an ambitious 34 billion cubic meters.