INTEGRATED WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT OF THE YERTIS RIVER BASED ON GEOINFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES

Abstract

This article examines the current state of the Yertis River and the water crisis in Kazakhstan. The main causes of the water crisis are the lack of clear management of water resources, inconsistency in the actions of stakeholders and insufficient funding. Integration of geoinformation technologies is necessary to provide an information and analytical component in water resources management. One of the significant geographic information systems (GIS) in water resources management is the WEAP (Water Evaluation and Planning) system. This article discusses examples of using the WEAP system in foreign countries and analyzes the possibilities of its applicability to the Yertis River. The WEAP system can be used to assess the impact of climate change on river runoff and anthropogenic activities on the Yertis River. Also, this system has functionality for planning the integrated use of river water resources and compiling analytical scenarios on the development of river flow. One of the key results of the article was the successful application of the WEAP platform for modeling the current and future development of the Ertis River flow by creating two scenarios. The analysis of independent scenarios, “Population growth” and “Increase in irrigated areas by 2030”, revealed a significant impact of demographic and agricultural changes on water consumption in the Yertis River basin, which underlines the need for effective and rational water resources management.