Kazakhstan Mining Production Expands as Water Supplies Face Pressure

Kazakhstan's mining production is expanding rapidly even as climate change and aging infrastructure strain national water supplies. The sector's growth coincides with rising demand on water resources from a growing population. Experts have noted that water scarcity receives limited attention in mining risk assessments.

, told a panel at the Minex Kazakhstan '26 forum in Astana in April that water scarcity in Central Asia is discussed almost entirely as an agricultural problem and rarely appears in mining company risk registers.

The Kazakh government introduced significant revisions to the water code in 2025 to address the issue. The changes aim to require miners to adopt water-saving technologies. Industry insiders say the success of the revisions will depend on enforcement. Current enforcement of the new rules remains weak according to the same sources.