Kazakhstan Establishes Working Group of Experts to Address Caspian Sea shallowing

The working group of experts is set to study changes in the water level of the Caspian Sea, Kazakhstan’s water resources and irrigation ministry said, The Caspian Post reports, citing Kazinform.

According to the ministry, the state of the Caspian Sea is being closely observed by all the littoral states, as its water level continues declining.

The Caspian Sea’s water level and state are always on the table at summits and meetings of the Framework Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea (Tehran Convention), signed by Republic of Azerbaijan, Islamic Republic of Iran, Republic of Kazakhstan, Russian Federation, and Turkmenistan.

Baku hosted the side event discussing the Caspian Sea water decline in light of climate change at COP29 under Azerbaijan’s chairmanship on November 18 last year, during which suggestions were made to address the Caspian Sea shallowing as well as the action plan was proposed to mitigate the consequences of this ecological crisis. The need for greater regional cooperation within the UN and partnership relations was highlighted, reads the response of the water resources and irrigation ministry.

Special attention was placed to Azerbaijan’s proposal to hold professional discussions of the Caspian Sea shallowing.

It was suggested to set up a working group of experts to study changes in the water level of the Caspian Sea in a five-sided format. Presently, Kazakhstan engages in creation of the group’s lineup. The country is to discuss issues regarding the Caspian Sea shallowing domestically with involvement of specialists and experts of the Caspian Sea Research Institute, said the ministry.

According to experts, the Caspian Sea’s water level has dropped by around 2 meters since 2006, with some expressing the view that it was caused by the construction of reservoirs at the upper reaches of Volga and Ural rivers.

Earlier it was reported that NASA satellites spotted a Ghost Island in the Caspian Sea.