Caspian Sea near the city of Aktau. Photo from smart-lab.ru
The Government of Kazakhstan has allocated 1.1 billion tenge (approximately $2.2 million) for a comprehensive study and preservation of the Caspian Sea, as well as for maintaining the region’s environmental sustainability, according to the Cabinet’s press service. The corresponding resolution was signed by Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov. The funds, drawn from the government reserve, will be transferred to the Kazakh Research Institute of the Caspian Sea.
“The financing will enhance the institute’s scientific capacity. The funds are allocated for the purchase of marine monitoring equipment, as well as for equipping hydrobiological and hydrochemical laboratories. This will enable the institute to move to comprehensive monitoring directly in the sea’s water area, including systematic observations of hydrometeorological and biological environmental parameters, and to expand the evidence-based scientific framework regarding processes in the Kazakh sector of the sea,” the statement said.
The Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources has been instructed to take all necessary measures to implement the resolution, while the Ministry of Finance is to ensure strict oversight of the targeted use of budget funds.
In September last year, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, speaking from the rostrum of the United Nations, called on countries to join efforts to preserve the Caspian Sea, stating that it is rapidly becoming shallower and that this is “no longer merely a regional issue, but a global alarm signal.”
In recent months, Tokayev has repeatedly raised the Caspian issue at international platforms. Speaking at the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), he warned that the sea’s shallowing is “approaching an environmental catastrophe.”
In this context, Tokayev proposed establishing a Water Issues Analysis Center in Astana under the SCO’s auspices. He also announced the decision to hold a regional environmental summit in Astana in April 2026.
