Environment and Security: Transforming risks into cooperation

Eastern Caspian

55

Environment and Security

All provinces in the eastern Caspian region suffer from a shortage of good-quality fresh- water. Water scarcity is a major hindrance for local development. Water is delivered by tankers to remote villages, as only sizable urban areas have access to tap water. Overall in the Caspian Sea provinces of Kazakhstan tap water is available to ap- proximately 70–75% of the population (liv- ing mostly in the towns of Atyrau, Aktau and Jana Uzen) (NESSD 2006; Mangys- tau province programme “Drinking water 2003–2010”). Again the main differences in access are observed between urban and rural areas. In both Caspian provinces do- mestic use of freshwater (for drinking and household services) amounts to 15 million cubic metres a year. In rural areas – such as Beiney, Mangystau, Tupkaragan, Karakyan districts – water use is lower than 50 litres a day per person, which is below basic health and sanitation requirements. Freshwater Environmental degradation and security

There are substantial differences in the sources of water supply. In Mangystau province about 50% of drinking water is provided by desalination of Caspian water (by the MAEK plant in Aktau, 100 million cu m a year, and at Fort Shevchenko), the rest being supplied by the 1 100 km long Volga–Mangyshlak water pipeline and by underground reserves. In Atyrau province the main water supply is the Ural river, while distant rural settle- ments draw water from tankers or wells. The Ural river 59 is also the second largest watercourse in the whole Caspian region, after the Volga river, forming part of the geographic boundary between Europe and Asia. Phenols, heavy metals and oil prod- ucts are the principal pollutants in the Ural basin. The diluting effects of Ural’s spring floods decrease water pollution in the river’s lower reaches in the Caspian lowland and permit self-purification of the river system.

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