Abstract
In the context of increasing freshwater scarcity and growing climate risks, the assessment of renewable groundwater resources in Kazakhstan is becoming increasingly important. According to the UN report “Groundwater: Making the Invisible Visible” (2022), up to 99% of all freshwater on Earth is groundwater, which plays a crucial role in sustainable development, food security, and climate change adaptation.
In global practice, groundwater is considered a natural resource whose practical value is primarily determined by its renewable reserves. These represent the annual recharge of aquifers and reflect their fundamental property as a renewable mineral resource, defining the upper limit of long-term groundwater abstraction without depletion. The estimation of renewable resources provides insight into regional groundwater availability, the relationship between groundwater and surface water, and the role of subsurface flow in the overall water balance.
This article presents an overview of the hydrogeological characteristics of Kazakhstan, which includes three major hydrogeological regions: folded-mountain structures, consolidated mountain formations, and platform areas. Based on the synthesis of regional studies conducted between the 1960s and 2020s, various methods for assessing renewable groundwater resources are discussed, including hydrological analysis, infiltration-based recharge estimation, hydrogeological analogy, and spatial modeling using ArcGIS tools.
The comparison of regional assessments shows that Kazakhstan’s total renewable groundwater resources range from 1.17 to 1.53 thousand m³/s, or 37-48 km³/year, with an average groundwater runoff layer of 14-19 mm/year and a runoff module of 0.45-0.6 L/s·km². The highest values are observed in the folded-mountain regions of the south and east, where groundwater runoff reaches up to 80 mm/year, and the lowest in the arid western regions. The performed systematization forms a basis for refining the national water balance and improving strategies for the sustainable management of groundwater resources in Kazakhstan.
01 Introduction
The full text of the article is available for download in PDF format on the right panel.
02 References
- 1. The United Nations World Water Development Report 2022. Groundwater: Making the invisible visible. UNESCO, Paris. https://www.unesco.org/reports/wwdr/2022/en.
- 2. Non-renewable groundwater resources. A guidebook on socially-sustainable management for water-policy makers. – UNESCO, IHP-VI, Series on Groundwater. – 2006. – №10.– Р. 104. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000146997.
- 3. Zektser, I.S., L.G. Everett (eds). Groundwater resources of the world and their use. – UNESCO, IHP-VI, Series on Groundwater. – 2004. – №6, – Р. 346. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000134433.
- 4. Margat, J., J. van der Gun. Groundwater around the World. – CRC Press, Balkema. – 2013. – Р. 372. https://hydrology.nl/images/docs/alg/Groundwater_around_world.pdf.
- 5. Tazhiyev, S., Murtazin, Ye., Sotnikov, Ye., Rakhimova, V., Abdizhalel, M., Yerezhep, D., Adenova, D. Geoinformation and Analytical Support for the Development of Promising Aquifers for Pasture Water Supply in Southern Kazakhstan. – Water. – 2025. – Vol. 17(9). – Р. 1297. https://doi.org/10.3390/w17091297.
- 6. Dyuisenkhan, A., Zhaparkulova, Ye., Issakov, Ye., Mirdadayev, M., Aldiyarova, A., Kaipbayev, Ye., Kalmashova, A., Zhoya, K., Kai Zhu, Lóránt Dénes Dávid. The possibility of using groundwater and collector-drainage water to increase water availability in the Maktaaral district of the Turkestan region of Kazakhstan. – Agricultural Water Management. – 2024. – Vol. 301. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2024.108934.
- 7. Веселов В.В. Гидрогеологическое районирование и региональная оценка ресурсов подземных вод Казахстана: Анализ результатов исследований за 1961-2002 гг. – Алматы, 2002. – 438 с.
- 8. Смоляр В.А., Буров Б.В. и др. Водные ресурсы Казахстана (поверхностные и подземные воды, современное состояние). – Алматы: Ғылым, 2002. – 596 с.
- 9. Смоляр В.А., Буров Б.В., Мустафаев С.Т. Ресурсы подземных вод Республики Казахстан. Водные ресурсы Казахстана: оценка, прогноз, управление. – Алматы, 2012. – 632 с.
- 10. Osipov, S., Yermenbai, A., Akylbekova, A., Livinsky, Y., Anarbekov, O. The negative impact of anthropogenic factors on the state of groundwater of Kazakhstan. – News of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan-Series of Geology and Technical Sciences. – 2020. – No. 2(440). – Р.132-140. https://doi.org/10.32014/2020.2518-170x.40
- 11. Abuduwaili, J., Issanova, G., Saparov, G. Water Resources in Kazakhstan. – Hydrology and Limnology of Central Asia. – 2019. – Р. 11-46. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-0929-8_2
- 12. Ауелбек, З., Калыбекова, Е., Сейтасанов , И. ., Онласын, У., Жандияр, Е. Основы рационального использования водных ресурсов Балкаш-Алакольского водохозяйственного бассейна. – Izdenister Natigeler. – 2023. – 2 (98). 327-336 с. https://doi.org/10.37884/2-2023/32.
- 13. Куришбаев, А., Атакулов, Т., Рябцев, А. Проблемы и перспективы развития орошаемого земледелия в Казахстане. – Izdenister Natigeler. – 2025. – 1(105). – 431-439 с. https://doi.org/10.37884/1-2025/46.
- 14. Атлас гидрогеологических карт Республики Казахстан. Институт гидрогеологии и геоэкологии им. У.М. Ахмедсафина. – Алматы, 2022. – 83 с.
- 15. Генеральная схема комплексного использования и охраны водных ресурсов. Утверждена постановлением Правительства Республики Казахстан от 08.04.2016 г. № 200. https://adilet.zan.kz/rus/docs/P1600000200.