Environmental issues with cotton cotton environmental. Up until the third quarter of the 20th century it was the world. Geographically it covers an extensive area of central asia, most of tajikistan. Aral sea 64,500 km2 facts about the aral sea disaster. The aral sea is located amid the great deserts of central asia figure 1. May 16, 2017 one of the largest global environmental disasters in the recent history which is being experienced by countries and the population of 62 million people in central asia, is the tragedy of the aral sea that in its environmental, climatic, socioeconomic and humanitarian consequences poses direct threat to the regions sustainable development, health, gene pool and future of the.
The aral sea transboundary river basin food and agriculture. Water footprint of cotton consumption pdf devastating consequences. Jun 01, 2018 the aral sea started to shrink in the 1960s when the soviets diverted water from the two main rivers that flowed into the aral sea to feed vast new cotton fields. The authors set the development of this tragedy in its historical and political context, and analyse the social and ecological causes and consequences of the decline of the sea, focusing in particular on the dependence of several central asian republics on.
Aral sea transboundary river basin 3 about 90 percent of tajikistan and kyrgyzstan is mountainous. Over the past 10 millennia, it has repeatedly filled and dried, owing both to natural and human forces. Apr 22, 2010 camels graze near grounded fishing ships abandoned after the aral sea dried up. The money will be used to implement the second stage of a project aimed at saving the northern part of the sea. The aral sea is a huge terminal lake located among the deserts of central asia. From the streams brinkthe spot where first a boat, crossing the stream in summer, scrapes the land. The fresh water from these two rivers held the aral s water and salt levels in perfect balance. The commonwealth ilibrary an illustration of the tragedy of. The sea level has dropped by over 30 m in many places, leaving fishing boats stranded 100 kilometers from any shore.
Since 1960, the sea has lost 73 percent of its water. The aral sea and other transboundary surface waters in central asia1 basinsubbasins total area km. Aral sea, a oncelarge saltwater lake of central asia. Jan 18, 2009 where water is known to empty into the sea, then river can with caution be pumped or diverted into irrigation channels. The aral sea is the largest inland body of salty reservoirs in the world. Salinity at the time was measured at 10gl grams of salt per litre of water. The aral sea used to be the fourth largest lake in the world, after the caspian sea, lake superior and lake victoria. The basin is formed by two of the largest rivers of central asia the amu darya and the syr darya.
However, the real tragedy is in the associated impacts on the health and well being of the local population and the ecological balance in the region. Feb 25, 2015 latest satellite pictures reveal that 90% of the aral sea has dried up, forming a new desert between uzbekistan and kazakhstan in central asia. Apr 09, 2007 the kazakhstan government has secured a multimillion dollar loan from the world bank to help save the aral sea. Pdf response paper on aral sea disaster himanshi narula. The aral sea crisis differs from other major environmental disasters like the quick onset ones that occurred in bhopal.
Uzbekistan, turkmenistan, kazakhstan, afghanistan, tajikistan, and iran. The completion of kazakhstans kokaral dam in 2005 worsened the divide, reviving the northern sea but cutting off the southern sea from the syr darya river. What was once the bottom of the lake has become a new desert, abandoned fishing boats listing in the sand, scoured by toxic dust. Lake level has fallen 23 m, area shrunk 74%, volume. Mar 16, 2000 rim abdulovich giniyatullin of the international agency for the aral sea program hopes that the rest of the world can learn lessons from the aral sea tragedy. The aral sea is situated in central asia, between the southern part of kazakhstan and northern uzbekistan. In comparison, the oceans are about 35 gl, and the dead sea about 300 gl. Image caption the town of moynaq was once uzbekistans main fishing port on the aral sea. For the period 19972001 the worldwide consumption of cotton products required 256 gm3 of water per year. Bbc news asiapacific kazakhs get loan to save aral sea. Since the early 1960s, the level of the aral sea has declined sharply and today it is an ecological nightmare and socioeconomic tragedy. Health and ecological consequences of the aral sea crisis. More than half the mean annual runoff in the aral sea basin is generated in tajikistan and almost onequarter in kyrgyzstan. The source of the amu darya is largely in tajikistan, with a few watercoursesoriginatingin northeasternafghanistan.
But fish are beginning to return to the north aral sea, and so are the fishermen. Aral sea one of the planets worst environmental disasters. The overuse of pesticides for greater agricultural yield combined with the increased salinity resulting from the drying of the sea bed have led to serious human health and environmental issues around the region as well as intense toxic dust storms, the effects of which have been. Was hushd, and still the men were plunged in sleep. In 1918, policymakers from the former soviet union decided to divert fresh water from the syr darya and the amu darya for irrigation. The aral sea transboundary river basin geography, climate and population geography the aral sea basin, total area 1. May 23, 2008 the aral sea s salinity and volume levels were held stable by inflows of freshwater from the syr darya river on the east and the amu darya river to the south. Aral sea was the fourth largest lake in the world before 1960s, with an area of more than 68,000 km 2 micklin 2007. In this chapter, we explain how the tragedy of the commons can result from existing types of ownershipproperty rights regimes and examine the consequences. Department of geography, western michigan university, kalamazoo. A significant feature of the region is the number of oases fergana valley, khorezm.
The soviet union hid the seas demise for decades until 1985, when leader mikhail gorbachev revealed the great environmental and human tragedy. Aug 12, 2012 exploreradventurer george kourounis visits the aral sea in western uzbekistan where wasteful irrigation practices by the former soviet union have drained most of the water, creating a vast. Around the southern edge of the aral sea is the karakalpakstan republic, an autonomous republic incorporated into uzbekistan. The saddest and most frustrating thing about the tragedy of the aral sea is that the soviet officials at the ministry of water who designed the irrigation canals knew full well that they were. Once, the aral sea, located between kazakhstan and uzbekistan, was the fourth largest inland body of water in the world, with a surface area of 68,000 km2. Between 1960 and january 2006, the level of the small aral fell by m and the large aral fell by 23 m table 1. Check the aral sea map showing the shrinkage over the last decades. Water footprint of cotton consumption pdf chapagain, a. The aral sea was once the fourth largest inland body of water on earth with a. The aral sea drainage basin is located mainly in uzbekistan, but also in parts of tajikistan, turkmenistan, kyrgyzstan, kazakhstan and afghanistan. By the late 1980s the seas level had dropped so much that the water had separated into two distinct bodies. Problems of the aral sea and water resources of central asia.
Recipient riparian countries lakes in the basin amu darya 2 aral sea af, kg, tj, uz, tm aral sea surkhan darya,500 amu darya tj, uz ka. Via national geographic, a detailed look at the tragedy of the aral sea since 1987, when the aral sea split into northern and southern halves. The most recent desiccation started in the early 1960s and owes overwhelmingly to the expansion of irrigation that has drained its two tributary rivers. Restoring life to the aral seas dead zone bbc news. Disappearance of the aral sea world resources institute. The aral sea basin includes uzbekistan, tajikstan, and parts of kazakstan, kyrgystan, and turkmenistan. Himanshi narula manu mathai 8 september 2017 ecology and development response paper 1 aral sea disaster aral sea, worlds fourth largest terminal lake. The aral sea has seen the surface area decline by 90%, and had its volume decrease by 85%, an amount equal to lake erie and lake ontario combined. The demise of the aral sea the source of many environmental and natural resource problems lies in illdefined property rights.
Once the fourth largest lake on the planet, the aral sea is rapidly becoming a waterstarved, brackish puddle. The main problem as far as the aral sea is concerned is that it is an inland sea and the development of a large cotton industry has been at the expense of a large fishing industry as well as a significant change to the local. The two rivers that feed it are the amu darya and syr darya rivers, respectively reaching the sea. By 2001, the southern connection had been severed, and the shallower eastern part retreated rapidly over the next several years. Situated in the centre of the central asian deserts at an altitude of 53 metres above the sea level, the aral sea functions as a gigantic evaporator. The aral sea, formerly one of the largest inland seas in the world, has become a symbol. The tragedy of the aral sea only began with its desiccation. In the first half of the 20th century the aral sea was the worlds fourthlargest inland saline body of water, with an area of 68 000 sq. In 1989, the aral sea separated into two isolated reservoirs. The aral sea transboundary river basin home food and.
The aral sea, formerly one of the largest inland seas in the world, has become a symbol of what can go wrong when transboundary water is mismanaged. Aral sea has declined sharply and to day it is an ecological nightmare and socioeconomic tragedy. The loss of the aral sea in central asia is an ecological disaster. It was once the worlds fourth largest body of inland water but has shrunk remarkably because of the diversion of its sources of inflowing water for irrigation beginning in the second half of the 20th century.
How a disappearing sea became a towns main attraction the. Request pdf the aral sea disaster the aral sea is a huge terminal lake located among the deserts of central asia. Latest satellite pictures reveal that 90% of the aral sea has dried up, forming a new desert between uzbekistan and kazakhstan in central asia. While in 2007, its area was only about one third of 50 years ago and the water. In the early 1960s, the soviet central government decided to make the ussr selfsufficient in cotton and rice. Jun 03, 2015 the aral is an inland saltwater sea with no outlet. By the early 2000s, the absolute water level in the sea went down to 31 m, which is 22 m.
The united nations has said the disappearance of the aral is the worst manmade environmental disaster. Sohrab and rustum by matthew arnold poetry foundation. The aral sea has been described as one of the worlds most serious environmental and human tragedies micklin 1992, 274. What is it once the worlds 4th largest inland sea 68,000km2 located in uzbekistan and kazakhstan both countries were part of the former soviet union historically a saline lake fed by the amu darya and syr darya rivers. The aral sea environmental health crisis journal of rural and. The south aral sea had split into eastern and western lobes that remained tenuously connected at both ends. Aug 09, 2018 the five states of central asia first established the international fund for saving the aral sea, or ifas, 25 years ago, though they refuse to cooperate on key problems like water distribution. The aral sea management experience and lessons learned. The aral sea basin includes the syr darya and amu darya, the tedzhen. Be careful about how much you use, and stop before the source starts to shrink. The aral separated into two water bodies in 198789. The aral sea began to shallow in the 60s, when the water from rivers flowing into the sea was taken to the irrigation works. Especially large retreats in the eastern lobe of the south aral sea appear to have occurred between 2005 and. The aral sea extends over 690,000km2 kirmani and lemoigne, 1997.
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