The Irtysh River Basin: Transboundary Challenges and Practical Solutions
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Report
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Key conclusions
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Presentation
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Summary
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The Irtysh River is the longest transboundary tributary in the world, stretching 4,248 kilometers. Together with the Ob River, it forms Russia’s longest waterway, the second longest in Asia, and the seventh longest globally. Flowing through China, Kazakhstan, and Russia, the Irtysh plays a crucial role in each country's water, economic, and energy security.
Scheme of the Irtysh River Basin
Source: EDB
In China, the river’s upper reaches are vital to the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), where rapid development has driven water demand. Between 1990 and 2022, XUAR's population grew from 15.2 million to 25.87 million, while its per capita Gross Regional Product increased 28-fold. With ongoing economic expansion, the region faces severe "water stress", and its demand for water, food, and electricity is expected to rise significantly.
Kazakhstan relies heavily on the Irtysh and its tributaries, which support nearly 30% of the country's population and economy. The river basin contributes 45% of Kazakhstan’s agricultural output, while the Irtysh hydropower cascade generates 10% of the nation’s electricity (80% of its hydropower). However, potential upstream water withdrawals by China pose significant risks to Kazakhstan’s water security.
For Russia, water management by upstream countries — Kazakhstan and China — is a critical concern. Excessive water withdrawal by China could reduce inflows from Kazakhstan. Over the next decade, projected changes in water quantity and quality could present serious socio-economic challenges for Omsk and its surrounding areas.
The transboundary nature of the Irtysh River necessitates a strategic partnership among China, Kazakhstan, and Russia to ensure sustainable water management and regional stability. Practical measures can be structured in four main areas.
1. Enhancing Bilateral Cooperation and Legal Frameworks
The first step is to strengthen bilateral interstate cooperation between Kazakhstan and Russia, as well as Kazakhstan and China, by incorporating key provisions of international water conventions into national legislation and intergovernmental agreements. Cooperation programs should focus on:
- Ensuring international navigation along the Irtysh and Ob rivers.
- Combating water pollution and preserving water quality.
- Regulating the safe use of water bodies.
- Enhancing water management efficiency during floods, droughts, and low-water periods.
These efforts will establish a solid legal foundation, paving the way for a trilateral agreement between the three nations.
2. Developing Soft Infrastructure for Water Management
Bilateral cooperation should also emphasize the development of soft infrastructure to improve transparency, research, and capacity building. Key initiatives include:
- Establishing an international integrated monitoring system – A unified, transparent river flow monitoring system with real-time data sharing among all parties.
- Coordinating training and capacity-building programs – Developing a standardized system for training and retraining water management professionals.
- Promoting interdisciplinary research – Conducting joint studies on the Irtysh River’s transboundary water resources through leading research institutions in Kazakhstan, China, and Russia.
3. Coordinated Management of Hydraulic Infrastructure
Optimizing the operation of existing hydraulic structures — including hydropower plants (HPPs), dams, reservoirs, irrigation canals, and water supply systems — while planning future developments is crucial. Priority projects include:
- Construction of the second phase of the Shulbinsk HPP (Kazakhstan)
- Construction of the Semipalatinsk HPP (Kazakhstan)
- Reconstruction and modernization of the Irtysh-Karaganda canal (Kazakhstan)
- Construction of the Krasnogorsk hydrosystem near Omsk (Russia).
- These projects aim to ensure a stable water supply in the Irtysh River basin while minimizing impacts on other countries.
4. Developing a Multimodal Transport Corridor
A strategic priority is the creation of a full-fledged Russia-Kazakhstan-China multimodal transport corridor utilizing the navigable potential of the Ob-Irtysh river system. This initiative would:
- Link the Northern Sea Route with the Silk Road, integrating Eurasian transport corridors into the global trade network.
- Provide landlocked Central Asian countries and China’s northwestern regions with access to Russia’s inland waterways and the Arctic Ocean.
By leveraging the Irtysh and Ob rivers as vital transportation routes, the region can enhance economic connectivity and foster long-term cooperation.
This initiative holds strategic value for all countries in the Irtysh River basin and can serve as a foundation for trilateral cooperation. A key requirement for the integrated use of the Irtysh corridor’s water transport potential is reaching trilateral agreements (China-Kazakhstan-Russia) on regulating the river’s water regime during the navigation period and establishing an international river navigation authority. Such cooperation would facilitate the creation of interstate mechanisms for coordinated water resource management in the Irtysh basin.
This report is based on research from leading institutions, including the Institute of Geography and Water Security (Science Committee of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, Republic of Kazakhstan) and the Institute of Water and Environmental Problems (Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Russian Federation). It also draws from strategic documents, policy concepts, bilateral meeting materials, and discussions with representatives of relevant government agencies.