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Lake Balkhash (Kazakh: Balqash Köli) is a large lake in southeastern Kazakhstan, the second largest in Central Asia after the Aral Sea. It is part of the huge west/Central Asian endorheic basin that includes the Caspian and Aral seas.
History From as early as 103 BC up until the 8th century, the Balkhash polity was known to the Chinese as Pu-Ku/Bu-Ku. During China's Qing Dynasty, the lake formed the northwestern-most boundary of the Empire. However, in 1864, the lake and its neighbouring area was ceded to Imperial Russia through what Chinese histories call an unequal treaty, The Sino-Russian Treaty on the Northwestern Boundary. With the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, the lake became part of Kazakhstan. Characteristics
Economic development The waters of the Ili River and of Lake Balkhash are of vital economic importance to Kazakhstan. The Ili is dammed for hydroelectric power at Kaptchagayskoye, and the river waters are heavily diverted for agricultural irrigation and for industrial purposes. Balkhash itself serves as a vital fishery. Environmental and political problems As the population and degree of industrialisation in western China increase, and with traditionally poor political relations between Kazakhstan and the People's Republic, it is likely that conflict over the fate of the limited waters of the Ili will intensify. Similar international disputes over water use in the arid region led to the desiccation of the Aral Sea, and Balkhash appears to be following a similar path. The water pollution of Balkhash is intensified as urbanisation and industrialisation in the area grow rapidly. Extinctions of species in the lake due to its decreasing area, as well as overfishing activities, are cause for alarm among conservationist organisations worldwide. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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