Pictures Of The Aral Sea Shrinking
Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan both share the Aral Sea, a body of water that is steadily disappearing. A picture of ecological and health effects of Soviet eco-engineering, the Aral Sea has been constantly changing. The Soviet Government took 1940′s payday loans of water from the Aral Sea. The water level of the Aral Sea has been dropping since then.
History of Aral Sea diversions
The Soviet government started building canals to divert up to 60 cubic km per year as part of the “Great Plan for the Transformation of Nature”. Before the diversion, the Aral Sea had 68,000 square km of water. The goal of this plan was to irrigate desert cropland to grow crops like cereal, melons, cotton, and rice. As a result of this plan, Uzbekistan is now a world-class cotton exporter.
Shrinkage of the Aral Sea
The Aral Sea was diverted as part of the Soviet Government’s loans for people with bad credit. The Aral Sea started shrinking after twenty years of diversion. There were several factors that caused the Aral Sea to disappear. Agriculture diversions started causing significant water drops. Evaporation also caused a significant drop in the Aral Sea. A large project intended to refill the Aral Sea was also abandoned in 1986. By 2004, the Aral Sea was less than one-quarter its original size.
Ecological and economic impacts of the Aral Sea
The Aral Sea had been a major hub of fishing and commerce. The fishing economy has practically disappeared since the Aral Sea started dropping. Toxicity of the Aral Sea has also increased because of rising salt levels. Because of industrial, chemical, and agricultural pollution that ran into the Aral Sea, the dirt and dust now blows into toxic dust storms. The Aral Sea shrinking has also been blamed in the extreme temperature changes in the area.
Restoring the levels of the Aral Sea
Some groups have been working to restore the Aral Sea. Many countries as well as the World Bank and UNESCO have worked to restore the Aral Sea. Major projects have increased the sea depth by about 98 feet, though the likelihood that the Aral Sea will return to its former glory are minimal.
Sources:
AP News
Aral Sea Foundation
