Issue |
BIO Web Conf.
Volume 179, 2025
International Scientific and Practical Conference “From Modernization to Rapid Development: Ensuring Competitiveness and Scientific Leadership of the Agro-Industrial Complex” (IDSISA 2025)
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Article Number | 14005 | |
Number of page(s) | 9 | |
Section | Rational Use of Natural Resources | |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1051/bioconf/202517914005 | |
Published online | 09 June 2025 |
Irtysh: Environmental Risks and Threats
1 L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University, 2, Satpayev str, 010008, Astana, Kazakhstan
2 Astana Medical University, 010000, 49a, Beybitshilik str, Astana, Kazakhstan
* Corresponding author: zhan_al@yandex.ru
Water is the source of life on Earth and a fundamental resource that plays a crucial role in environmental, economic, societal, and security- related issues. It is one of the key factors determining the stability of any state. The concept of hydro-hegemony, as used by the authors, highlights the hydropolitical dimensions of the issue and the ecological vulnerability of the Irtysh River, which flows through China, Kazakhstan, and Russia. The geographical positioning of the Irtysh River, with its source in China, allows the upstream country to control water intake levels, potentially disadvantaging the downstream nations, Kazakhstan and Russia. The ecosystem of Kazakhstan’s Irtysh and Ili river basins is highly dependent on China’s hydropolitical strategies, as a network of lakes-including Alakol, Zaisan, and Balkhash – as well as artificial reservoirs fed by these rivers, are at environmental risk. The aim of this research is to assess the impact of hydro-hegemony on the ecological status of the Irtysh River and the potential consequences for Kazakhstan. China’s expanding agricultural policies, which include the expansion of cultivated areas and the construction of large-scale dams and reservoirs, have increased water withdrawals from rivers that flow into Kazakhstan. An analytical review of the available materials indicates that China is actively developing environmentally sustainable water management technologies, whereas Kazakhstan continues to experience water pollution from industrial enterprises, posing a potential threat to the river ecosystem.
© The Authors, published by EDP Sciences, 2025
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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