Floods represent one of the most significant global risks, threatening human lives, infrastructure, and economic development. Although various strategies for flood water management have been developed, their effectiveness and applicability vary depending on geopolitical, economic, and climatic factors. This systematic review aims to analyze and critically assess existing mechanisms and programs focused on industry engagement in flood risk reduction and flood water management. Through a comprehensive literature review, key strategies have been identified, including nature-based solutions such as blue-green infrastructure, technological innovations in flood prediction, and regulatory frameworks designed to strengthen cooperation between the public and private sectors. Special attention is given to the limitations of previous research, including methodological shortcomings, the lack of empirical evidence on the long-term effects of strategies, and challenges in implementing existing policies. The findings highlight the need for an integrated approach that combines technical, regulatory, and socio-economic solutions for more effective flood risk reduction. This study contributes to academic and practical discussions by providing a comprehensive analysis of current strategies and offering guidelines for future research.

Kazakhstan’s 2025 Water Code aims to institutionalize Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM), but its success is threatened by a persistent “implementation gap” between policy requirements and the workforce’s practical competencies. This study provides empirical evidence of a persistent misalignment between water-related higher education and emerging governance demands in Kazakhstan by conceptualizing the implementation gap as a human-capital deficit. We conducted a repeated two-wave survey of students enrolled in “Water Resources” programs (n₁ = 39, n₂ = 82) to empirically diagnose this gap and examine changes in educational preferences over time. The findings reveal an overwhelming demand for dual education (97.6%), alongside a statistically significant shift (χ²(1) = 33.53, p < 0.001) from theory-oriented learning (56.4% to 4.9%) toward practice-oriented formats (30.8% to 62.2%). Key reported constraints include limited access to modern laboratories (47.6%) and insufficient real-world professional experience (28%). Taken together, these results indicate a structural misalignment between academic training and the competency requirements implied by ongoing water-sector reforms. The study concludes that dual education may function as an institutional mechanism for narrowing the policy-to-competence gap, supporting efforts to operationalize the 2025 Water Code and advance Sustainable Development Goals 4 and 6.

Flood-Managed Aquifer Recharge (Flood-MAR) planning requires more than identifying drought-prone areas, flood occurrence, or locations that appear intrinsically suitable for groundwater recharge. This study formalises the Flood-MAR-Kaz project concept and applies its decision logic retrospectively to documented evidence from four areas in Kazakhstan. Five stages distinguish hydroclimatic need, manageable high-flow sources, receiving-system suitability, risk acceptability, and implementation readiness. Project hydroclimatic analyses, reanalysis and satellite diagnostics, UAV/LiDAR terrain products, and flood-hazard and implementation information were assessed according to their spatial scope and evidential role. Each stage was evaluated as supported, unresolved, or excluded under the assessed conditions. The application identified an unresolved source-verification requirement shared by Koksu, Akyrtobe, Zharbulak, and Zhalkamys. Terrain differences supported distinct questions for subsequent investigation but did not justify ranking recharge feasibility. A detailed Akyrtobe example showed how complementary orthophoto and terrain information could inform surface-routing assessment while leaving source availability, subsurface suitability, and operational readiness unresolved. The contribution is a documented link between available evidence, permissible screening conclusions, and subsequent investigation requirements. This application illustrates preliminary decision support; it does not validate recharge performance, economic viability, or reductions in flood and drought impacts.

Kazakhstan faces growing water security and environmental management challenges and needs more practice-oriented environmental science education. This study examines two complementary Kazakhstan-based cases. Case Study 1 analyzes faculty and student surveys from the 2022 Science with a Purpose project, which delivered short courses in water quality, air quality, remediation, sampling methods, and scientific communication. Case Study 2 examines the 2025 pilot adaptation of the Nebraska-based Know Your Well (KYW) participatory-science model. An exploratory comparative two-case-study design drew on survey responses, project documentation, instructional materials, participant feedback, workflow analysis, and two illustrative laboratory water analyses. In Case Study 1, 22 of 25 faculty members responded (88.0%); student response rates were 14 of 18 (77.8%) before and 10 of 18 (55.6%) after the courses. Participants generally rated practice-oriented content positively. In the KYW pilot (N = 15), 14 participants (93.3%) reported that the training met expectations, and 14 (93.3%) considered the skills fully or partially applicable. The pilot demonstrated a feasible workflow linking preparation, field activity, sample handling, and laboratory-supported interpretation. Although the findings do not establish national representativeness, intervention effects, long-term learning outcomes, or large-scale monitoring impact, they support complementary capacity-building pathways for Kazakhstan.

A practical approach to the development of dual education for training specialists in the water management sector of the agro-industrial complex of Kazakhstan is presented. The relevance of the study is determined by a shortage of personnel in the water sector, insufficient professional orientation of graduates, and the need to adapt educational programs to labor market requirements. The objective is to develop a methodology for a dual educational platform that ensures the integration of theoretical knowledge and practical experience within a unified educational space, as well as continuity between secondary technical and university education. Methods are based on an analytical algorithm. The study includes a comparative assessment of dual system models implemented in Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, China, and the United States. Additionally, a documentary analysis of the regulatory framework, educational standards, and industry practices determining the conditions for implementing the dual format in the republic was carried out. As an applied element, the regional case “Flood-MAR-Kaz” is used as an example of combining digital solutions and practice-oriented learning in the context of water resource management. Results show that the effectiveness of the dual form was evaluated by the level of cooperation “college university–business–government bodies,” the share of competence formation, and the degree of digitalization of educational activities. The acquisition of dual skills contributes to higher employment rates of graduates, improvement of engineering competencies, and resilience of rural areas to water and climate risks. Conclusions indicate that the practical significance of the research lies in the possibility of applying the proposed technology in the development of educational plans, disciplines, and projects for water management and in monitoring their effectiveness using key indica tors. Thus, the constructed structural-functional scheme serves as a tool for understanding and clearly presents the mechanism for designing specialist training under dual education conditions

Endorheic lakes are sensitive indicators of climate variability and water-management pressure, yet their response in data-scarce Central Asian basins remains poorly quantified. This study examines long-term climate trends (1981–2020) and satellite-altimetry-based water-level dynamics (2002–2026) of the Alakol–Sasykkol lake system in eastern Kazakhstan. Meteorological data from five stations were analyzed using the Mann–Kendall test, Sen’s slope estimator, and the Pettitt test. Significant warming of 0.025–0.034 °C year⁻¹ was found at four of five stations, while precipitation trends were spatially heterogeneous and potential evapotranspiration increased significantly only at Zhalanashkol. A catchment moisture deficit index ($\Delta =P-{ET}_0$) was derived. For Lake Sasykkol, the strongest lagged relationship was between $\Delta (t-1)$ and lake volume $V\left(t\right)$ ($r=0.602$, nominal $p=0.008$). This relationship was stable in bootstrap, permutation, and autoregressive checks, but it was not significant after correction for multiple comparisons and is therefore presented as an exploratory working hypothesis. Satellite altimetry for 2016–2026 showed that Lake Alakol declined at −14.07 cm year⁻¹ faster than Lake Sasykkol (−3.75 cm year⁻¹). Because both lakes experience similar climatic forcing, this difference suggests a probable additional anthropogenic contribution to Alakol’s decline, most plausibly irrigation water withdrawal, although quantitative attribution is not possible with the available data. DAHITI altimetry for Alakol was compared with in situ gauge records ($r=0.997, n=9, p<0.001);$ this supports the use of the product but does not conclusively validate it due to the small sampling number. The results highlight the need for integrated monitoring of tributary inflow, irrigation withdrawals, and groundwater to separate climatic and human drivers. The paper describes an integrated system for water resource monitoring based on station data, satellite data, and trend estimation under conditions of uncertainty. Results are compared with available measurements to guide sustainable management of the water resources. A summary of the main problems that need to be resolved is provided—inflow, groundwater level, water consumption, variations in lake levels—in a terminal sensitive basin subject to climate change. It is a valuable insight for providing knowledge to support the implementation of SDG 6, 13, and 15—Water Resource Management, Climate Resilience, and Wetland Protection.