Translated with AI
A natural emergency has been declared in Kazakhstan's Atyrau region due to shallowing rivers and the Caspian Sea, the region's akimat press service reported.
The decision to declare a state of emergency was signed by the Akim of the Kurmangazinsky District on July 31, 2025, but this information was only recently made public. The emergency was caused by deteriorating hydrological conditions, including the shallowing of the Kichag and Sharon rivers, their canals, and the western Caspian Sea.
"The shallowing of water bodies negatively impacts the natural spawning and migration of fish, including valuable species, and creates difficulties for the navigation of border and law enforcement vessels, as well as commercial fishing vessels. Commercial fishing conditions are deteriorating annually," the Akimat press service noted.
In addition, the shallowing of canals complicates the supply of water to agricultural lands and pastures, negatively affecting the development of agriculture and livestock farming.
An emergency response center, led by the deputy akim, has been established at the Kurmangazinsky District Akimat. An emergency response plan has been approved, and calculations are underway for the necessary technical and budgetary resources. Planned measures include dredging the fish passages of the Kichag and Sharon rivers, as well as the Zharkosinsky and Ganyushkinsky canals in the offshore Caspian Sea, to ensure navigation and the passage of valuable fish species to spawn.
Earlier, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, in his Address to the Nation, expressed concern about the falling level of the Caspian Sea, noting that without appropriate measures, the situation could escalate into a large-scale environmental disaster.
