Water resource management is emerging as a top regional policy issue for Kazakhstan. In just one sign of the government’s growing concern, the Ministry for Water Resources and Irrigation is pushing for a “contractual framework” with China and Uzbekistan to regulate usage of transboundary rivers. A resource-management blueprint covering 2024-2030 is currently being negotiated, according to a report published by the Zakon.kz news outlet. The framework agreement would establish a system for joint management of river traffic and water flows between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, as well as fix volumes…