| 1 | The rivers drain into the Balkhash lake, which sustains the livelihood of more than two million Kazakhs. | |
| 2 | Kazakh officials fear that the Balkhash will face a similar fate to the Aral Sea, which is on the verge of disappearing because of heavy pollution. | |
| 3 | A city of southeast Central Asian U. S. S. R. near the Chinese border south of Lake Balkash. | |
| 4 | The Balkhash lake, he said, was "losing water." "The water level is now lower by more than two metres to what it was three decades ago. | |
| 5 | The Qing territory extended to Lake Balkhash and the Pamirs in the west and bordered Siberia in the north. In the east was the Pacific, and in the south the frontier encompassed the Nansha Islands. |