ASSESSMENT OF IRRIGATED AGRICULTURE AVAILABILITY DUE TO GROUND-WATER DEPOSITS EXPLORED FOR LAND IRRIGATION IN SOUTHERN AND EASTERN KAZAKHSTAN

This article analyzes the current state of water supply for irrigated lands and examines the potential use of explored groundwater deposits for irrigation purposes. Irrigated agriculture remains one of the most effective forms of agricul-tural production, enabling increased yields of grain and vegetable crops regardless of precipitation levels. However, a major issue in Kazakhstan’s agricultural water use is the significant loss of water resources. The regions of Kazakh-stan can be categorized into three groups based on their level of dependence on transboundary surface water inflow: the first group includes areas with high dependency, the second group with moderate dependency, and the third group consists of regions independent of external water sources. For each groundwater deposit identified for irriga-tion, the design irrigation area was calculated using the average hydromodule value. The greatest potential for irri-gation using groundwater is found in the southern regions of Kazakhstan.