Local officials declared a state of emergency in several districts of the Zhambyl region in southern Kazakhstan, which shares a border with Kyrgyzstan, on August 22 due to a lack of irrigation water and abnormally high temperatures. Around 80 percent of the irrigation water in southern Kazakhstan's Zhambyl region comes from Kyrgyzstan, where there has been a significant reduction in water flow this year. Kyrgyzstan stopped providing irrigation water to Kazakhstan in August as supplies in reservoirs dropped to as low as a tenth of their usual volume. To read the original story by RFE/RL’s Kazakh Service click here.
Kazakhstan Declares State Of Emergency In Southern Districts Over Lack Of Water
Kyrgyzstan's Kirov reservoir in July. Around 80 percent of the irrigation water in southern Kazakhstan's Zhambyl region comes from Kyrgyzstan, where there has been a significant reduction in water flow this year.