New Delhi: The Kazakhstan government has attacked China over the construction of dams and agricultural setups in the basin of the Ili river, which have tremendously reduced the volume of water in the country’s freshwater reservoirs. As per reports, Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Ecology, Geology, and Natural Resources said that Beijing-funded projects and installations have drained massive volumes of water in Kapshagay reservoir, located in Almaty Oblast, which is one of the largest in the country.
The Ministry highlighted that the volume of water in the Kapshagay reservoir decreased by as much as two billion cubic meters in comparison with 2019. A new low-water cycle in the basin of the Ili river in the territory of China has caused such an effect. Records indicated that to date the reserves of freshwater in Kazakhstan amount to 126 cubic miles.
Meanwhile, the reduction in the volume of water in the Kapshagay reservoir is not the only problem of Kazakhstan caused by Beijing. Almost 70 percent of the Ili and Irtysh rivers which are formed in China have also been under threat.
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According to ecological experts, due to the construction of dams and dykes in China, these rivers have not only become shallow, but secondary effects are also taking a toll on the aquatic ecosystem. Experts feared that Kazakhstan lakes of Zaysan and Balkhash lakes would also suffer the same fate as the Aral Sea if China and its projects are not stopped immediately.
