Groundwater is one of the main water resources of the Kyrgyz Republic (KR). They are characterized by a high content of biologically active mineral (and less often organic) components and possess specific physicochemical properties (radioactivity, etc.), which underlie their effects on the human body and therapeutic applications.
There are about 150 mineral springs in the territory of the KR, more than 30 of which are thermal. They are mainly used for sanatorium-resort treatment and for widespread consumption as therapeutic, preventive, and table waters. Artificially prepared mineral waters are also used for therapeutic purposes. In Kyrgyzstan, there are more than 250 natural and artificial manifestations (wells) of mineral waters. Out of 40 types of mineral waters identified in practical resortology, 30 are found in the territory of Kyrgyzstan. Ten types have also been identified that have no global analogs. Mineral waters containing an increased amount (compared to fresh waters) of salts and gases possess specific properties (temperature, radioactivity, etc.) that determine their therapeutic effects.
At the same time, the hydro-mineral resource base of Kyrgyzstan is utilized at no more than a quarter of its potential. The reasons for this include both economic circumstances (lack of funds from the state, lack of interest from investors, weak activity of local capital) and the incompleteness and insufficient dissemination of information about reserves, quality, mining and technical conditions for the development of promising sites.
Since the 1960s, there has been a shortage of water, with the Amu Darya, Syr Darya, Ili, and Tarim rivers drying up on their way to the landlocked Aral Sea and the lakes of Balkhash, Manas, Lobnor, and Issyk-Kul. As a result, the desertification process in the basins of these rivers is progressing. The dying forests on the slopes of the mountains, as well as the negatively altered vegetation, adversely affect the water balance in the region. As a direct effect of the reduction of vegetation and forest cover, the level of clean precipitation and evaporation may decrease. Based on the results of climatic, hydrological, and glaciological studies of the Issyk-Kul basin conducted back in the 1980s, it was concluded that the decrease in water quantity in this basin is also due to climate changes.
