Issyk-Kul Lake is currently under threat. Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan Edil Baisalov stated during an event on water resource management amid climate change held as part of COP29.
According to him, the water level in the lake decreases from year to year.
"Dozens of rivers flow into the lake, but none flow out. This lake is sacred for us. Of course, we will encourage our farmers around Issyk-Kul to save water, but I also want to draw attention to another issue. Rivers that previously flowed into the lake in large volumes are now being diverted for irrigation purposes by neighboring countries. We are raising this issue and will discuss it openly and honestly. We lost the Aral Sea and cannot afford to lose another lake. We have to preserve Issyk-Kul, and we will hold international conferences on this topic soon," Baisalov said.
"The issue is about careful treatment of water in the interests of neighbors, peoples downstream. I would like to recall the words of President Sadyr Japarov. In January of this year, he emphasized that Kyrgyzstan will remain a good neighbor that will take the interests of our fraternal Central Asian states as close to its heart as its own people," the official added.
For these purposes, the state, according to him, in 2024 will direct huge resources to the introduction of new technologies at the level of each family and the entire country.
"In 2025, several hundred million dollars will be allocated for this to build new reservoirs, restore canals, irrigation networks, and introduce drip irrigation systems. A large-scale project on construction of Kambarata HPP 1 is being launched. This will allow us to better manage our main waterway, Naryn River, and will allow us to both produce electricity and save water for irrigation purposes for the countries downstream,” Edil Baisalov said.
The UN Climate Change Conference has been taking place in Baku since November 11. Today’s event in the Kyrgyzstan’s pavilion is dedicated to the problems of agriculture, food security and water resources in the context of climate change.
