Israel national water company Mekorot has signed an agreement for a major upgrade of the water infrastructure in Kazakhstan’s Abai region. This desert region, which borders Russia and China, spans a vast area of some 185,000 square kilometers, which is more than eight times the size of Israel. Despite its size, it is home to only 600,000 people and this low population density requires extensive infrastructure to meet the residents' basic water needs.
The cooperation agreement, signed in the presence of Kazakhstan’s deputy prime minister, will produce tens of millions of dollars for Mekorot and other Israeli companies through consulting and water system upgrade projects in the region. This is not Mekorot’s first project in Kazakhstan. The company recently completed a project in Almaty, Kazakhstan’s second-largest city, where it developed a strategic plan for the municipal water sector, covering the coming decades.
In the Abai region, Mekorot will focus on improving the management and operation of water systems, enhancing digital capabilities, and integrating metering, command, and control systems. The objective is to assist the regional authorities in improving the efficiency of water management and preventing water loss across the vast distances while strengthening ability to monitor and control the infrastructure. Currently, Mekorot is in the process of mapping needs in a vast yet sparsely populated district. The district does, however, have extensive economic activity, including in the industrial and mining sectors.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on November 10, 2026.
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