The Aral Sea's Lost Waters: A Story of Greed and Neglect

The Aral Sea was the 4th largest lake in the world before greed and neglect fed upon its water. This shrunken sea is located between Kazakhstan in the north and Uzbekistan in the south. The 68,000 Square km area is nothing more than an inhospitable barren landscape. For 50 years the lake saw its demise, and only in recent years has the government shifted its attention to the sea, but how far they have come to replenish the water? And at what cost?

The glory days

Toward the end of the Neogene period, the depression of the Aral Sea was formed and gradually filled with water. Thanks to the two rivers Syr Darya and Amu Darya which brought water from the glacial mountains, flowed down and through the desert mountains that added up water that led the lake to become the 4th largest in Central Asia. Along the rivers, the annual average 4 inch rainfall also ushered an extra pile of water onto it. This endorheic lake had its own indigenous biodiversity, with various endemic species and sub-species of fishes.

The lake was also responsible for cooling down the adjacent areas, regulating the climate, and controlling dust storms. Fishing and related activities saw a good rise in the early 1900s. However, the days turned into nightmares soon.

The Shrinking days

In 1929, the Soviet Union introduced a social and economic transition to achieve and enhance cotton cultivation. Canals for irrigation were constructed on a huge scale, and this great plan took place at the cost of the lake’s fate, keeping environmental sustainability at stake. The year the 1950s saw catastrophic outcomes, the compromised agricultural strategies diverted the direction of the two rivers, Amu Darya and Syr Darya to pour water on Central Asia’s deserted Steppes for the cotton to thrive.

The Lake transformed into a ghost land, with rusted ships anchored, waiting for the water to flow in. According to Earth Times, the sea lost it’s 82 percent of its water. The diversion of the rivers reduced the water inflow into the sea, which increased the decrease of the water, along with this diversion the temperature rise and evaporation catapulted the drying up rate.

Due to the shrinking, the area was separated into two water bodies in 1987. A small area of Aral in the north and a larger area to the south. In 2005 Kazakhstan erected a dam over the existing earthen dike that was built in 1992 to prevent the water outflow from the small Aral Sea water body. The construction affected the southern region that Uzbekistan shared, eventually compromising the economic and ecological conditions.

In the year 2014, the eastern part of the Aral Sea completely dried up, which was also captured by NASA, and was infamously named as Aralkum Dessert. The lake which once employed thousands of people because of fishing, became a barren piece of land.

The Recovery Days

The northern part of the Aral Lake, toward Kazakhstan, saw the revival of the shallow water body, and the creation of the dam resulted in an increased inflow rate of the water. Within a few months after the construction in 2005, the level of water increased by more than 10 feet, which the scientists predicted would take almost 10 years to reach that same record.

The surrounding area saw a boom in the fishing industry again, the economic dynamics have been stabilized, and the people have seen a good rise in the market conditions. The Kazak government has played a good role in there to revive the water in the lake. This reviving story also has loopholes, as all the areas have not been rejuvenated, there are still lacunas that need to be filled.

However, critics have their wordplay, that the cost to revive the small northern part was pretty high, as it jeopardized the remaining extensive area of the Aral Sea. Dust storms have become common in the adjacent parts. The atmosphere above this dried sea has almost lost its capacity to remain cool, and also like a snowball effect it is heating the areas nearby, raising the mercury in a loop.

The future days

Who should be held responsible in reality? The Soviet Union’s catastrophic Agricultural policy, the greed of the government, or the negligence of the other nations that showed very little interest in bringing the sea back to life? This debate would be a failed initiative of course.

The actions are yet to be taken, that would at least bring back the water body from the collapse. The area which once was a shelter to 319 species of birds and 70 species of mammals, now hardly supports half of it. The continuous shrinking and desertification have increased the salt accumulation, making the land almost impossible for plantations.

Will the Uzbekistan government’s 2-billion-dollar project to revive the water body be enough? Will the adjacent countries come together for the same cause? Will the cotton cultivation in the Uzbek region face a regulation? All these questions are yet to be answered, and once they are, one question will still prevail, If ever in the far future the Aral Sea gets back all its lost water, then that would be at what cost?