ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECTS OF THE USE OF COLLECTOR AND DRAINAGE WATERS FOR IRRIGATION OF CROPS UNDER LOW-WATER CONDITIONS

The article examines the reclamation status of irrigated lands of Turkestan region and the environmental aspects of using collector and drainage waters for crop irrigation under low-water conditions. Currently, the dependence of the water supply of Kazakhstan’s irrigation systems on transboundary river flow has increased. Due to the growing economic and social development of neighboring countries, there is a tendency for cross-border flows to decrease. According to hydrological forecasts, the flow of transboundary rivers may decrease by up to 40% in the 2030s. The object of the study is Turkestan region, where irrigated lands lie in the basin of transboundary rivers. The water availability index of existing irrigation systems ranges from 75-90%, and in low-water years it decreases to 50-60%. Collector-drainage and wastewater generated in large volumes are discharged into the river basins, polluting the water and the adjacent environment. Intensive irrigated agriculture in Central Asian countries, including Kazakhstan, is impossible without artificial irrigation. River water, which is typically used for crop irrigation and soil leaching, has become scarce. Therefore, the problem of finding and using new water sources is becoming more acute, and its solution depends on identifying additional alternative sources. Such sources may include poorly mineralized groundwater previously unused, as well as collector-drainage waters formed from irrigation fields.