Kazakhstan is rapidly scaling up digital water management and water-saving measures as it seeks to mitigate growing water risks linked to climate change, population growth, and economic development. At a government meeting on January 13, officials outlined a coordinated water strategy combining infrastructure investment, digital platforms, and regulatory reform.
A central pillar of this effort is large-scale digitalisation. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development Zhaslan Madiyev announced the development of the National Water Resources Information System, integrating data from 11 government platforms to enable analytics, forecasting, and secure data exchange. Core functions are already operational, with full industrial launch planned by the end of 2026. Reengineering of nine key water-sector business processes is expected to simplify procedures by 51%, while 95% of public services in the sector are already delivered online.
Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov stressed that digital control “from the source to the end consumer” and a national culture of responsible water use are essential for long-term water security
Digitalisation is extending to the field level. Automation of 103 irrigation canals will begin this year, with an additional 264 canals planned with support from the Islamic Development Bank. At the utility level, Kazakhstan plans to install more than 3.6 million smart water meters between 2026 and 2028, enabling real-time monitoring and loss reduction. Platforms such as NeoPro and the unified “Smart Turmys” housing and utilities interface are being rolled out nationwide.
Alongside digital tools, Kazakhstan has completed a major milestone in physical access to water. By the end of 2025, 100% of cities and villages were connected to drinking water supply systems, including 90 cities and 6,087 rural settlements with a population of 7.5 million people, following investments of approximately 835 billion tenge (about USD 1.6 billion). In 2026, 128 billion tenge (around USD 250 million) will be allocated to water supply infrastructure and wastewater disposal systems.
At a larger scale, modernisation of water supply and wastewater systems will be accelerated through borrowed financing under the National Project for the Modernization of the Energy and Utility Sectors. The government plans to attract up to 1.9 trillion tenge (approximately USD 3.7 billion) in investments to upgrade critical infrastructure, including wastewater networks, water supply networks, and wastewater treatment facilities in 45 cities.
Water efficiency remains a priority, particularly in agriculture. Despite drought conditions, the 2025 irrigation season concluded without critical impacts due to improved coordination and expanded water-saving technologies on 153,500 hectares. Updated water-use limits under pessimistic flow scenarios will be introduced in early 2026. Industrial water reuse is also being mandated. Under the new Water Code, enterprises must transition to recycled and circulating water systems within seven years, raising reuse from 13% to 28% by 2030 and saving an estimated 1.5 billion m³ of water.
Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov stressed that digital control “from the source to the end consumer” and a national culture of responsible water use are essential for long-term water security — underscoring that Kazakhstan’s water transition is as much institutional and cultural as it is technological.
