“Old dams pose threat. There are 1732 such hydraulic structures on small and large rivers, temporary watercourses, reservoirs, artificial reservoirs in Kazakhstan. All of them have different departmental affiliations and forms of ownership. Many, like the Kyzyagash dam are potential sources of emergency, especially during spring flows and floods, ” she said.
She pointed out that hydraulic structures pose a particular danger due to their emergency state.
“The overwhelming majority of water management structures were built in the 60-70s of the last century , many of them are outdated and worn out up to 40%. Out of 653 existing hydraulic structures, 268 need repair. Actual depreciation of water facilities already exceeds 60%. Such hydraulic structures can be classified as objects of increased emergency hazard. According to the state program for 2017-2021, the Ministry of Ecology, Geology and Natural Resources of Kazakhstan planned to restore 41 emergency reservoirs, but in fact only 20 facilities will have time to be repaired on time. The rest 21 will be postponed until 2025, ” she said.
Photo source: picture from an open source