Transboundary water management priorities in Central Asia countries – Tobol River case study in Kazakhstan

Abstract

AbstractChanges in transboundary water resources management in Central Asia brought the river pollution issue even more up to date than runoff and water distribution problems. This survey demonstrates that the analysis of river flow dynamics. Their water consumption and pollution makes it possible to prioritize these aspects of water management.As in the case of the Tobol-Torgay basin in Kazakhstan it was shown that for this type of basins. anthropogenic pollution remains a priority factor in transboundary water management. The Tobol River a tributary of the Ob and the Irtysh rivers belongs to the Kara Sea basin and is situated in the territory of Kazakhstan and Russia. Tobol-Torgay River basin located within borders of Kostanay region of Kazakhstan covers the upper reaches of the Tobol River and its tributaries. It has been determined that the water quality of the rivers in the region is stable for the decade under study and its formation remains due to natural factors. The priority contaminants in the basin are heavy metals and organic matter introduced by anthropogenic sources.The idea of the article was to present the issues of cross-border water management, one of the largest in terms of area countries in the world (ranked 9th in the world in terms of area), Kazakhstan. In the scientific community involved in water management Kazakhstan is usually associated with a catchment area of two large bodies without the possibility of outflow – the Aral Sea and the Caspian Sea.