«There should be no shortage of water»
«If there is a problem with transboundary rivers, you can use groundwater (it is safe, regardless of neighboring countries), introduce a water conservation policy, and build enough hydraulic structures», the expert says.
«It is simply necessary to solve the issue of uniform distribution of water throughout the country. To do this, the Association of Hydrogeologists of Kazakhstan proposed to develop and implement a project for the construction of a water pipeline network that will be able to cover the shortage of drinking water in certain regions», the expert says.
«At the same time, we cannot do without a new tariff policy that is adequate to current realities. The outdated infrastructure is functioning at the limit of its capabilities. Creating a new one is the task of the market. Excess water consumption will be equal to the increased tariff. In short, it is necessary to save water in every possible way. At the same time, the "black market" of water must be completely eradicated. Water is a limited resource, its availability is the key to the survival of farmers», Kassym–Jomart Tokayev said.
«A simple example is to provide water to a village of three thousand people, we need about 40 m3 per hour. In order to obtain these indicators, it is necessary to drill a well with an operational column with a diameter of 219 mm and install a Belarusian ECV pump -8-40-100 which has a volume of 200 mm. At cost, this is much higher than the option we have proposed for drilling water wells. It is necessary to review the norms and standards that are referred to when designing hydrogeological wells», the expert says.
«I think it would be possible to exempt companies engaged in drilling water wells and their research from VAT. There are a maximum of 200 in the country. Nationwide, taxes from these companies are a small amount, but they can help the industry develop and get back on its feet».
«99 percent of drilling equipment in the country is in a very poor condition, almost all companies work on installations from the 1980s, which has a very negative impact on the timing. It is necessary to subsidize the purchase of new drilling equipment for drilling hydrogeological wells», the expert says.
«I had experience building and owning a private water intake. We bought a plot in the private sector in the Almaty region, drilled a well, built a water supply network, equipped a water intake, connected the houses of the new array to clean drinking water. Naturally, it is not free, the cost of connecting one house was two hundred thousand tenge, 500 tenge was paid monthly for one tenant. As a result, the state did not spend a dime, the population received high-quality drinking water for a small amount, five jobs were created», says Daniyar Zhumabekov.
«There was a long period when the specialty "hydrogeologist" was abolished, if I'm not mistaken, from 2007 to 2017, and this had a strong impact on the industry. The assistants of the masters of the drilling rigs were practically not trained, only at the Semey Geological Exploration College. We faced a personnel problem, no one agreed to drill wells, and those who went to work, to put it mildly, did not meet the basic requirements. Candace, who arrived from Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, helped out. Over the past two years, it has become impossible to keep people at all, since it was necessary to increase wages, and they paid for wells in the same way as in 2015», the expert notes.
«We all know from scientific research organizations dealing with hydrogeology that there are Research Institutes of Hydrogeology and Geoecology named after U.M. Akhmedsafin. One organization cannot lead to scientific and technological progress. In my opinion, it is necessary to increase the number of scientific organizations, increase the allocation of grants for research and scientific developments of an applied nature in this area», the expert said.
«The infrastructure is worn out, but everything can be restored. I do not agree with the opinion that we are in for a drought. If you take a businesslike approach to this issue, then you can bring all hydraulic structures into line within 5-7 years. As a specialist with 20 years of experience, I have often come across an unworthy attitude to hydrogeology. I often encountered incorrect, unprofessional well drilling projects, due to the fact that the general contractor could pay the drilling company an amount three times less than the estimated cost. And companies out of desperation agreed to such conditions, and all this was reflected in the quality of work», the expert concluded.