OMM Newsroom
The North Aral Sea’s water volume has increased by 24% since 2022, reaching 23.4 billion cubic meters. The figures were announced at the COP31 climate conference in Antalya, Türkiye, AnewZ reported.
Kazakhstan’s Deputy Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Mansur Oshurbayev spoke about efforts to restore the Aral Sea region. Decades of falling water levels exposed large areas of the seabed.
Construction of the Kokaral Dam was an important step in helping protect the northern part of the sea. The project reduced water salinity by about 50%, contributing to the recovery of fish populations and surrounding ecosystems.
However, large areas of the former seabed remain dry and pose an environmental threat. Wind can carry salt and dust from exposed sediments into surrounding areas, risking harm to local ecosystems and communities.
To address the problem, Kazakhstan carried out afforestation and land restoration work on more than 1.1 million hectares, or 11,000 square kilometers, from 2021 to 2025. The program included planting more than 56 million saxaul seedlings, which are drought-resistant and help stabilize sandy soils, limiting the spread of airborne salt and dust.
Plan to expand the sea
Kazakhstan is preparing a new phase of restoration. A project developed in partnership with the World Bank aims to increase the North Aral Sea’s water volume to 34 billion cubic meters and expand its surface area to about 3,913 square kilometers.
The initiative includes reconstruction of the Kokaral Dam. The first phase of a broader restoration and irrigation modernization program is planned for 2027–2030.
Irrigation infrastructure to be upgraded
Meeting the targets will require efficient use of the Syr Darya River’s water, a key source for both the sea and agricultural communities in Central Asia.
Kazakhstan plans to modernize and automate irrigation infrastructure through more than 160 projects in the Turkistan and Kyzylorda regions. Officials hope that reducing water losses will allow some of the saved water to be redirected to the North Aral Sea while maintaining supplies for farmers.
As the Syr Darya flows through several Central Asian countries, regional cooperation plays an important role in ensuring reliable water supplies. In 2025, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan signed an agreement on the joint management and sustainable use of shared water resources after a decade of negotiations.
The sea’s long-term restoration depends on stable water flows from upstream countries. Rising water levels in the North Aral Sea show that recovery is possible after decades of environmental damage. Sustaining this progress will depend on investment, more efficient irrigation and closer cooperation among neighboring countries.
