Ministry of Ecology: Lake Balkhash may face same ecological destiny similar to Aral”

In the concept of draft of the new “Water Code” which on released for public review on the offical public portal of Kazakhstan, there is an overview of the problem about the China’s plan to consume the water of the Ili and Irtys rivers , inbusiness.kz reports.

“According to experts’ assessment, Lake Balkash can become an ecological disaster zone similar to Aral. The lake level is fed by the rapid melting of mountain glaciers. And China plans to increase water intake from the Ili River for the needs of the oil industry. In addition, the lake continues to be polluted with heavy metals and sulfides from industrial enterprises,” says the concept of the draft code.

Experts from the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources believe that a dangerous situation is developing around the Irtysh River.

“In the future, China plans to increase its water intake to four to five cubic meters per year. This is related to the demographic processes in this area – China plans to increase the population of the district to 100 million people using resettlement programs, as well as to increase the area of irrigated lands. For this, China is building hydrotechnical structures in Kara Irtys,” the document says.