BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 27. Around 40 billion
cubic meters of water flowed into Lake Balkhash in Kazakhstan over
the past three years, helping stabilize its water level, according
to the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation.
Around 15.9 billion cubic meters of water flowed into the lake
in 2024, followed by approximately 13.9 billion cubic meters in
2025. Since the beginning of 2026, more than 9.7 billion cubic
meters have entered the lake.
Water is released into Lake Balkhash from the Kapshagai
Reservoir, which regulates the flow of the transboundary Ili River.
The reservoir reached 98% of its capacity in 2026, compared with
100% in each of the previous two years.
“The inflow of water from the Ili River remains at the long-term
average level. This helps maintain Lake Balkhash’s water level at
the optimal elevation of 341 meters according to the Baltic Height
System. In addition, work is underway with French experts to
develop a master plan for the conservation of Lake Balkhash through
2040. Field studies have been conducted, and the findings are being
analyzed,” Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Nurzhan
Nurzhigitov said.
Located in southeastern Kazakhstan, Lake Balkhash is the
country’s second-largest lake. One of its distinctive features is
that its western part contains fresh water, while its eastern part
is saline. Most of the water flowing into the lake comes from the
Ili River. Lake Balkhash also contains more than 40 islands.
