Situated between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, the Aral Sea is a body of water that has been disappearing steadily since the 1960’s. A victim of Soviet eco-engineering, the Aral Sea provides a picture of social, ecological and health effects of major changes to the environment. In the 1940’s, the Soviet government took the equivalent of payday loans. The water level of the Aral Sea has been dropping since then.
History of Aral Sea changes
The Soviet government started building canals to divert up to 60 cubic km per year as part of the “Great Plan in advance for the Transformation of Nature”. Before the diversion, the Aral Sea had 68,000 square km of water. In an attempt to irrigate desert land to grow rice, cotton, grains, and melons, the Soviet government diverted water from the rivers that feed the Aral Sea. The plan was partially successful, as Uzbekistan is now one of the world’s largest cotton exporters.
Aral Sea shrinks continuously
Because the Soviet government saw agriculture as the best loans for people with bad credit, they diverted water from the Aral Sea. After twenty years of diversion, the Aral Sea started to lose major water volume. There were several factors that caused the Aral Sea to disappear. Agriculture diversions started causing significant water drops. Evaporation also caused a significant drop within the Aral Sea. In 1986, a Russian attempt to refill the Aral Sea was abandoned. By 2004, the Aral Sea had split into three separate lakes that are less than 25% of the original size of the Aral Sea.
Ecological and economic effects of the Aral Sea
The Aral Sea had been a major hub of fishing and commerce. Since the Aral Sea started shrinking, however, the fishing industry has practically disappeared. Toxicity of the Aral Sea has also increased because of increasing salt levels. Toxic dust storms also blow up off the Aral Sea plain, with runoff from chemical testing, fertilizers, weapons testing, and industrial projects all becoming airborne. The Aral Sea shrinking has also been blamed within the extreme temperature changes in the area.
Restoring the Aral Sea
The Aral Sea has benefited some from the work of groups trying to restore the water levels. Some countries in the area have promised cash to help the World Bank and UNESCO restore the Aral Sea. While the Aral Sea may never return to former glory, but some projects have restored about 98 feet of depth.
Resources:
AP News
Aral Sea Foundation
