Water managment and climate change were discussed by Kazakh and Dutch experts

Water managment and climate change were discussed by Kazakh and Dutch experts

With the joint support of the Embassies of Kazakhstan and of the Netherlands, the Netherlands Kazakhstan Business Association (NKBA) held a webinar on “Water and climate change in Kazakhstan” on 28 October 2020. The event was joined by the representatives of the Committee on water resources of the Ministry of Ecology, Geology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan, attaché of the Kazakh Embassy in the Netherlands M.Karazhigitova, senior economic officer of the Dutch Embassy in Kazakhstan K.Bolatuly, as well as the representatives of Kazakh and Dutch companies and research institutes.

The speakers on the webinar were:

  • Maksat Ayashev, Deputy President of the Committee on water resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan;
  • Barbara Janusz-Pawletta of the Institute of Natural Resources, Kazakh-German University in Almaty;
  • Larissa Kogutenko of the Institute of Natural Resources, Kazakh-German University in Almaty;
  • Rieks Bosch, self-employed Dutch expert on climate change and water management in Central Asia.
  • Karen Meijer, expert at Deltares Institute in water resources management, international public policy and public management.

The participants exchanged opinions on the current problems with regard to the declining water flows in the rivers in the West-Kazakhstan, a significant drop in water level in the Caspian Sea, water quality, and also discussed the role that climate change may play in these phenomena in the future.

During the event, M.Ayashev spoke about the plans of the Ministry on the launching of the State programme on water management in Kazakhstan for 2020-2030 after it gets approval from the Government. He also expressed the willingness to develop the cooperation between Kazakhstan and the Netherlands in this sphere.

In conclusion, K.Meijer did a brief presentation of the Dutch initiative called “Water, peace and security”, under which Deltares together with other specialized institutions (IHE Delft, Wetlands International, and International Alert among them) study the risks caused by water scarcity/imbalance and provides stakeholders with analytical information for taking preventive measures at multiple levels.

The WPS partnership generates complex analysis by using cutting-edge technologies such as big data, artificial intelligence, remote sensing and other tools to support complex analysis. This generates crucial information for policymakers, including 1) early warning signals; 2) where and when risks are increasing, and 3) how they might be addressed.

The topic of the event aroused keen interest among the participants of the webinar. The next webinar is planned for 25 November 2020.