Kazakh Ministry of Emergency Situations warn agrarians of the country, that there will be a lack of water for irrigation in 2009. The most problematic regions will be western and eastern parts of Kazakhstan, Liter newspaper reported.
Western and Southern Kazakhstan will be hit by aridity. Water from Syrdarya cannot be used for irrigation because of overwhelming amount of pesticides it contains that it causes cancer diseases of digestive systems, causes abnormalities in child development, even milk of mothers who ate rice which was irrigated by the waters of Syrdarya contained pesticides. Water quality of other rivers is similar.
Irrigated lands in Kazakhstan shrank 43% over the past 15 years and there is still not enough water to irrigate the left acres.
Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan experience the same problems.