Lake Balkhash

Lake Balkash, in southeastern Kazakhstan, is the second largest lake in Central Asia after the Aral Sea.

The western half of the lake is fresh water, while the eastern half is salt water. The lake is fed by the Ili River, but has no outlet.

The lake currently covers 16,996 sq km (6,562 sq mi), but, like the Aral Sea, it is shrinking because of the diversion of water from the rivers that feed it. The maximum depth of the lake is 25.6 meters where the mean depth is 5.8 meters. The mean depth of the eastern part is 1.7 times more than those of the western part.

The water resources of Balkash are very important for its utilization to Kazakhstan. The lake and its tributary rivers are used for irrigation, municipal and industrial water supply, and fishing.