AGRICULTURALLY MANAGED AQUIFER RECHARGE (AgMAR) / FLOOD MAR ADAPTATION FOR KAZAKHSTAN

Climate change is transforming water systems worldwide, bringing more unpredictable weather patterns and challenging water management practices. Prolonged droughts, intensified storms, diminishing snowpacks, and shifting runoff dynamics complicate efforts to ensure water security. In Kazakhstan, attempts to mitigate flooding through dam construction have proven inadequate for managing urban stormwater runoff effectively. This study explores the implementation of Agricultural Managed Aquifer Recharge (AgMAR) in Kazakhstan, leveraging 3D visualizations created with the PyVista library to model soil layers, water flow dynamics, and the MAR principle. The findings highlight AgMAR as a promising solution for irrigation and rural water management, offering benefits such as groundwater stabilization, aquifer recharge during seasonal precipitation, purification of underground water sources, and increased freshwater availability.

1. Sallwey Ja., Barquero F., Fichtner T., Catalin St. Planning MAR Schemes Using Physical Models: Comparison of Laboratory and Field Experiments. Applied Sciences, 2019, vol. 9, 3652. https://doi.org/10.3390/app9183652.

2. Bachand S. M., Hossner R., Bachand M.A. 2017 OFR demonstration site monitoring and analyses: Effects on soil hydrology and salinity, and potential implications on soil oxygen, 2019. URL: https://suscon.org/wp-content/ uploads/2019/05/Bachand-Associates-2017-OFR-Demo-Site-Monitoring-and-Analyses.pdf

3. Dahlke H.E., Brown A.G., Orloff S., Putnam D., O‘Geen T. Managed winter flooding of alfalfa recharges groundwater with minimal crop damage. California Agriculture, 2018, vol. 72, no. 1, pp. 1–75. https://doi.org/10.3733/ca.2018a0001.

4. Harter T., Dahlke H.E. Out of sight but not out of mind: California refocuses on groundwater. California Agriculture, 2014, vol. 68, no. 3, pp. 54–55. https://doi.org/10.3733/ca.v068n03p54.

5. Impact of Flood-MAR strategy in California, USA. URL: https://floodmar.org/

6. Page D., Vanderzalm J., Gonzalez D., Bennett J., Castellazzi P. Managed aquifer recharge for agriculture in Australia – History, success factors and future implementation. Agricultural Water Management, 2023, vol. 285, p. 108382. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2023.108382.

7. Mumberg T., Ahrens L., Wanner Ph. Managed aquifer recharge as a potential pathway of contaminants of emerging concern into groundwater systems – A systematic review. Chemosphere, 2024, vol. 364, p. 143030. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.143030.

8. TERESA. Urban water management: German expertise for Kazakh cities, 2024. URL: https://www.teresa.inowas.com/

9. Google Earth platform. URL: https://earth.google.com/web.

10. Amanzholova R., Sarsekova D., Stefan C., Sagin J., King R., Timur E. TVET IT technologies support for the water resources, agro forest shelterbelts sustainability, 2024 IEEE 4th International Conference on Smart Information Systems and Technologies (SIST), Astana, Kazakhstan, 2024, pp. 239–244, https://doi.org/10.1109/SIST61555.2024.10629634.

11. Spain’s catastrophic floods by the numbers: At least 219 dead, 93 missing and billions in damage. URL: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/valencia-ap-spain-madrid-andalusia-b2643313.html.

12. Tracking seasonal floods in Kazakhstan over time. Kyzylagash region, 2010. URL: https://astanatimes.com/2024/04/tracing-kazakhstans-seasonal-floods-through-time/

13. Absametov M.K., Murtazin E.Zh, Kulagin V.V., Makyzhanova A., Ismagulova A.Zh. Infiltration and colmatation dynamics on physical models study by infiltration basins at artificial groundwater recharge. Water Conservation & Management, 2023, vol. 7, pp. 45–54. https://doi.org/10.26480/wcm.01.2023.45.54.

14. Sparovek Gerd, de Jong van Lier Qu., Marcinkonis S., Rogasik Ju., Schnug E. A simple model to predict river floods – A contribution to quantify the significance of soil infiltration rates. Landbauforschung Volkenrode, 2022, vol. 3, pp.187–195.

15. Köhne Jo., Júnior José, Köhne S., Tiemeyer B., Lennartz B., Kruse Je. Double ring and tension infiltrometer measurements of hydraulic conductivity and mobile soil regions. Pesquisa Agropecuária Tropical, 2011, vol. 41, pp. 336–347. https://doi.org/10.5216/pat.v41i3.11376.

16. Python. PyVista plugin. Full documentation. URL: https://docs.pyvista.org.