The Irtysh River in the hydro policy of Russia, Kazakhstan and China

... other smaller sources of transboundary rivers, which threatens an environmental catastrophe for Eastern and Central Kazakhstan. According to the Federal Agency for Water Resources of the Russian Federation , until recently, China took from the Black Irtysh 1-1.5 km3 of water a year, Kazakhstan – 3.8 km3, Russia – 0.43 km3. From 1997, China began increasing water intake from the watercourse of the Black Irtysh for irrigation of arid lands. The destabilizing factor was the construction of a 300-km irrigation canal Black Irtysh–Karamay,...