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Aral, the dying sea
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Map showing position of the Aral Sea


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Once the world's fourth largest lake, the mighty Aral Sea is now in it's death throes. Starved of it's lifeblood of the waters of the Syr Darya and the Amu Darya rivers, the sea has been shrinking for the last 40 years.

From the 1930s, the former Soviet Union started building large scale diversion canals to irrigate vast cotton fields in a grand plan to make cotton a great export earner. This was achieved, and even today Uzbekistan is still a large exporter of cotton. But the cost in ecological and human terms have been astronomical.

By 1960, 25 to 50 cubic kilometres of river water was being diverted annually for irrigation, and naturally enough, the shoreline began to recede. The mean sea level dropped 20cm (8") per year for 10 years, then the drop rate accelerated to 60cm/year in the 70s, then to almost a metre per year in the 80s.

By 1990, as a result of the continuing water diversion and evaporation, the shrinking Aral divided in two and it's salinity increased from 10 grams per litre to 45. In some parts of the south Aral, salinity tops out at 98 g/litre (2001). Average seawater salinity is 33 g/litre. The once thriving fishing industry has been destroyed along with the fish and most of the flora and fauna. Salt pans and contaminated runoff lakes have appeared, and winters have become harsher and longer, summers hotter and shorter.

Attempts in 1992 and 1997 to build the 14 km long Karateren-Kokaral dyke between the north and the south Aral (the south being abandoned, the north reflooded) was successful for 9 and 12 months until they were both breached by the weight of the water, and the fact that only enough money was available to build an inherently weak sand structure. This same plan, using concrete, has been revived in 2003 by the Kazakh government.

Vozrozdeniya Island -growing larger since 1960, joined the mainland in 2001, and added another cruel ingredient to the Aral disaster. Vozrozdeniya was a Soviet Army research and biological weapons facility until 1992, dealing reportedly in anthrax and other nasties that now have the potential to migrate. Ironically, Vozrozdeniya is Russian for 'rebirth' or 'renaissance'.

The area is now constantly subject to toxic duststorms and desertification, the people of the area have 9 times the world average rate for throat cancer (2004), and infant/maternity mortality is the highest in all of the former Soviet Union's republics. Respiratory complications, tuberculosis and eye diseases are also rising alarmingly.
Map of Aral sea showing shoreline from 1960 to 2004

In a deperate attempt to keep their vessels in the shrinking Aral, channels were dredged to the open sea. it was a futile exercise, as the sea receded faster than the channels could be built. The fishing industry was effectively gone by 1982, and the canning plant processing frozen fish brought in from other areas to keep fishermen employed, folded in 1991.
Of the region's 73 species of birds, 70 of mammals and 24 of fish, most have either perished or moved on.
Pic showing fishing vessels stranded by the receeding Aral Sea


Vast cotton feilds, irrigated by the Kara Kum canal and others, boosted Soviet cotton production by an impressive 70% between 1960 and 1980, then alarming degradation to the Aral basin was noticed, although not officially acknowledged by the central government.

All the canals were built on the cheap, most were never lined, consequently between 35 to 70% of the water is lost to evaporation and seepage -even today (2004), only 12% of Uzbekistan's canal length is waterproof.

Runoff from the irrigated land have formed artificial lakes contaminated with pesticides, fertilisers and heavy metals, some so large thay have been named. These lakes -and the salt pans are steadily growing.

The future looks bleak for the south Aral, but dependant on the desire of the nations bordering the Aral -and how much cash is available, the north Aral may have a chance. Preserving or restoring the Aral depends on limiting water use, a volitile issue in a region of ethnic tensions.

Only a huge injection of money (estimate at 2004, $300 billion) and cooperation between the former five Soviet states can save the Aral, but convincing the five to work together will not be easy, as all have competing economic interests.

The Uzbekistan dictatorship is intolerant of dissent, and may crack down on any groups trying to force change, or the Karakalpaks, an ethnically distinct people of the southern end of the lake who are disproportionatly effected by the Aral disaster, may take matters into their own hands.
Map of the Aral basin showing water usage



Printer version - NASA satelite images - North Aral -maybe a chance (2006)
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