Reasons for the reduction of Aral Sea’s size since the 1960s and its consequences

The ecological disaster in Aral Sea is considered as one of the global problem issue that has been occurred in the territory of Kazakhstan. This article analyses the main reasons for the problem and consequences to the environment. 

The Aral Sea, which was formerly one of the biggest brackish lakes, has been almost disappearing from the Earth’s surface for the last 50 years (Björklund, 1998, p.42). As Wilson (2002, p.29) mentions, it has been famous for its rich natural resources and an inhabitable environment for fauna and flora. However, in one generation the Sea has been rapidly shrunk due to the fact that countries near the Aral Sea have increasingly diverted the water flow of the deltas for the massive expansion of cotton irrigation, which was the main reason for the Aral Sea disaster (Kiessling, 1998, p.7). As a result, the volume of the Sea has decreased and the salt content of the water has sharply increased (ibid.). According to Rapp (1998, p.21), the shrinkage of the Aral Sea had critical impacts for the local population, as ecological, economic and human health problems have arisen. Furthermore, its significant negative effects for the whole world have been recently found by scientists (UNESCO, 2000, p.13). Therefore, the disaster in the Aral Sea is considered to have a global significance that needs the quick effective measure to be solved. The goal of this paper is to evaluate two appropriate solutions that might help to mitigate this environmental problem by determining the main cause of the environmental condition of the Aral Sea and its consequences. Next, the two solutions will be analyzed and compared which are improving the quality of irrigation canals and transferring water from other rivers, Caspian Sea or Siberian rivers, to the Aral Sea. In conclusion, the essay will be summarized with recommendations.

The Aral Sea, which took once the fourth place in size in the world covering the surface area of about 68,000 km2, has resulted from anthropogenic factors (Akaeva, 1998, p.18). The Sea that is situated in the desert between two Asian countries, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, mainly fed by two large rivers, the Syrdariya and the Amudariya. As Wilson (2002, p.31) mentions, in 1956s Soviet Union decided to develop agriculture, in particular cotton and rice production, near the Aral Sea by extending irrigation. Since that time the demand for irrigation water has dramatically increased (ibid). The main plan-makers did not completely understand the role of the river water for the Sea and whether there would be a severe environmental disaster in the area after a couple of decades because of that inefficient project (Bedford, 2009, p.14). According to study, by the end of the twentieth century 90% of the river’s flow was redirected for the crops, therefore, solely 5-10 km3 of water could reach the Sea (Björklund, 1998, p.45). Furthermore, hundreds of kilometers of irrigation canals were poorly constructed, built without any sufficient drainage in the desert causing much waste (ibid). According to calculations, the plants actually received only 30-40% of water diverted from the rivers (ibid., p.46). As a result of inaccurate irrigation and diversion, to date the original area of the Sea reduced by 54% and capacity of the basin decreased to about 20% of the former (Wilson, 2002, p.29). Furthermore, Björklund (1998, p.44) suggests that due to the rapid evaporation and lack of water in the Sea the salt content in the water has increased 3 times, from 10g/l (grams per liter) to 30g/l. For the last 50 years the Aral Sea, that was once an oasis in the desert that supported local people with rich fishing industry and adequate livelihood, has sharply shrunk and turned into a dying sea with receded shoreline by 80-100km (Rapp, 1998, p.23). Situation in Aral Sea has been known as one of the most serious man- made environmental disasters in the 20th century (ibid.). And historical aspects that are related to reasons for the catastrophe should not be ignored in order to find an effective solution to solve the disaster in the Aral Sea.

Critical state of the Aral basin has led to several consequences: it has threatened not only environmental side of the area, but also the residents’ physical and economic well-being (Ataniyazova, 2003, p1). Wilson (2002, p.31) points out that a shortage of drinking water, high saltiness of soil has effected on wildlife and ecological balance  in the Aral Sea region. As Micklin (1988, p.34) states, there was a dramatic reduction of fish species from about 20-24 to only 4 by the 1980s. The weather has become more continental: the winters are colder and the summers are hotter (ibid.). Furthermore, in order to increase a productivity of agriculture large quantities of pesticides were applied (Björklund, 1998, p.46). As a result, according to Ataniyazova (2003, p1), annually 40000 square kilometers saline soil contaminated with high level of toxic chemicals has been transported by wind to thousands of miles. The salty dust of the Aral Sea region is found today even on the top of Himalayan mountains, in Alaska and Arctic areas, which can be considered as one of the factors causing to melt the biggest ices of the world (Precoda, 1991 cited in Gapparov & Latchininsky, 2000, p.41). As Wilson (2002, p.31) claims, the pollution of the local nature with salinity has also affected the deficiency of drinking water, which has caused many severe risks for health of the resident people. Impure drinking water has led to an expansion of typhoid, hepatitis A and diarrhea diseases (ibid., p.30). Near the Aral Sea there are also a high rate of dangerous illnesses, such as tuberculosis and some types of cancer (ibid). At the same time, morbidity and mortality have also dramatically increasing (Ataniyazova, 2003, p3). High levels of Dioxins, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides have been even present in the contents of breast milk (Wilson, 2002, p.30). Therefore, as Akaeva (1998, p.19) states, women are banned by doctors to breastfeed their children, which is the most miserable thing for a mother. Another serious consequence of the Aral Sea disaster is an economic impact of the area (Ataniyazova, 2003, p1). Schuijt (n.d., p.3) investigates that the shrinkage of the lake has led to a significant decrease by 50% of the former general employment, particularly related to fishing and agriculture production. In the 1960s fishermen caught about 43,430 tons of fish, but during only one decade this number has dropped to 17,460 tons and in the 1980s it equated to zero (Glantz, 1999 cited in Wilson, 2002, p.30). As a result, according to Ataniyazova (2003, p.1), the fishing industries, which have overall about 40000-60000 employees, have closed. Similarly, the precipitous change of the climate has also influenced the fall of agricultural productivity (ibid.). Generally, about 3 million local people relied on agriculture and fishing for financial support have suffered from the economic disaster near the Aral Sea (Schuijt, n.d., p.3). The disaster has forced people to move from Aral Sea’s surrounding land, but those people who cannot abandon the place have had to stay and bear the damaged environmental condition (ibid.). Although the main cause of the Aral Sea disaster has been identified and consequences have been qualified, effective practical solution to restore the reducing Sea has not been found yet (Dukhovny & Sokolov, 2003, p.11).

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