Department of geography, western michigan university, kalamazoo. It was fed by two rivers that flowed down from the. Creeping environmental problems and sustainable development in the aral sea basin. One of the gravest global environmental disasters of modern times is the tragedy of the aral sea facing the countries of central asia and their. The rapid fall in the water level of the aral sea and the acceleration in the water loss rate are due to the positive feedback between evaporation and surface temperature of the sea. While in 2007, its area was only about one third of 50 years ago and the water. 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. Sustaining livelihoods affected by the aral sea disaster. The year 1994 was an exceptionally wet year, where precipitation was su.
The aral sea disaster what is being done today and what can be learned central asian government has ceased making efforts to restore the aral sea due to the social and economic consequences that would occur because of the reduction in irrigation. Click download or read online button to get aral sea book now. The water level of the aral sea has dropped approximately 23 meters since the water diversion from the amudarya and syrdarya rivers began. Program of measures to eliminate the consequences of drying of the aral sea and prevent disaster of ecosystems. Aral sea disaster popat bankar ajay devgire nayana gandhi chetan shetty akshay shevte 2. Over the past 10 millennia, it has repeatedly filled and dried, owing both to natural and human forces. The aral sea and the whole aral sea area has achieved worldwide notoriety due to a human induced environmental disaster. Almost a decade later, the aral is returning to life.
The shrinking of the aral sea in central asia is considered one of the most dramatic. The aral sea is situated in central asia, between the southern part of kazakhstan and northern uzbekistan. Back to the home page geography of central asia and aral. Up until the third quarter of the 20th century it was the world. The aral sea in 1960 was a huge brackish water lake 4th in the world in surface area lying amidst the deserts of central asia.
This graphic shows the aral sea as it was in 1960 and as it appeared in 2001. The aral separated into two water bodies in 198789. The aral sea disaster was caused by human mismanagement of a natural resource. These environmental impacts have had wideranging effects on health of local residents. The aral sea drainage basin is located mainly in uzbekistan, but also in parts of tajikistan, turkmenistan, kyrgyzstan, kazakhstan and afghanistan. This site is like a library, use search box in the widget to get ebook that you want. The aral sea is situated in the center of the central asian great deserts karakum, kyzylkum, and betpakdala at an altitude of 53 meters above the sea level and functions as a gigantic evaporator. Since the 1960s, however, when soviet irrigation projects diverted several of its source waterways, the aral has shrunk 90%. The aral sea the aral sea was once the 5th largest lake on earth. The nations that inherited this calamity are desperately poor, and need the cash provided by the neardestruction of the lake. Establish aral sea as unesco world heritage site would mandate partial restoration and bring about sustained international support develop a better understanding of these systems and the effects of our actions upon them. Neptune from the planets by gustav holst the aral sea updated english russia. General assembly esubscription to united nations documents. The aral sea was once the fourth largest inland body of water on earth with a surface area of 66,000 km2.
Health and ecological consequences of the aral sea crisis. Nasa the aral sea area, located on the border between kazakhstan and uzbekistan, was once the fourth largest inland sea in the world. The name roughly translates as sea of islands, referring to over 1,100 islands that had dotted its waters. The aral sea is the largest inland body of salty reservoirs in the world. Manschadi and others published white gold and aral sea disaster towards more efficient use of water resources in the khorezm. At the international conference on reduction of risks of natural disasters in. It was fed by two rivers that flowed down from the himalayas it sustained a vibrant fishing industry. Thetianshanandpamirmountainsin the south andsouthwestare characterizedby highaltitudes with peaks over7,000m and by an average annual high precipitation ranging from 800 to 1,600mmyear. Demands on the watershed for irrigation and other purposes have overdrawn water resources. Reproductions supplied by edrs are the best that can be. The aral sea disaster was quickly exposed and became a prominent symbol for moscows disregard for the environment and peoples wellbeing.
The aral sea management experience and lessons learned. The aral sea is a huge terminal lake located among the deserts of central asia. Around 35 million individuals live near the aral sea basin of which 3. Aral sea was the fourth largest lake in the world before 1960s, with an area of more than 68,000 km 2 micklin 2007. The royal geographical society has unveiled evidence that the devastated region around the aral sea in central asia is the worlds worst ecological disaster. It is a stern warning to the international community and illustrates how fast in less than 20 years this environmental disaster can threaten a whole region and a population large enough for a european country. Three british scientists have just come back from a visit to the lake that straddles the former soviet republics of kazakhstan and uzbekistan. Approximately 10,000 years ago, at the beginning of the holocene, the aral sea attained its great size when the amu darya river start flowing into it. Situated between uzbekistan and kazakhstan, the aral was once the fourth largest lake on earth, as big as ireland. Chronology of the aral sea events from the 16th to the 21st century. About 60 km3 of water evaporates per year from the sea and its rivers. Over the past 30 years, the aral sea in the former soviet union has shrunk to less than half of its original size. Water use efficiency of irrigated cotton in uzbekistan under drip and furrow. Aral sea one of the planets worst environmental disasters.
The devastation and partial rehabilitation of a great lake hardback pdf our services was released with a wish to work as a comprehensive online computerized collection which offers use of many pdf file ebook selection. Central eurasian environmental and aral studies ceeas. Disaster area and interdisciplinary solution and its income rose, but the aral sea itself was starved of water from the rivers that used to flow into it. Central asia and observes the medieval desiccation of the aral sea. Lake level has fallen 23 m, area shrunk 74%, volume. Spokesmen for central asias diverse peoples mustered support for a single cause. Public health problems in the aral sea region wikipedia. The aral sea is a huge, shallow, saline body of water located in the deserts of the southcentral soviet union figs. Areas that were previously food crops partly irrigated are now cotton and rice crops, widely irrigated. A map of the aral sea watershed the aral sea divided into two water bodies in 1987, the north aral sea and the south aral sea, with syr darya flowing into the former and amu darya flowing into the latter. Soon after the creation of the soviet union, its leaders made plans to. A massive irrigation project has devastated the aral sea over the past 50 years. This book offers the first multidisciplinary overview of water resources issues and management in the aral sea basin, covering both the amu darya and syr darya river basins. Pdf white gold and aral sea disaster towards more efficient.
The sea supported a major fishery and functioned as a key regional. The most recent desiccation started in the early 1960s and owes overwhelmingly to the expansion of irrigation that has drained its two tributary rivers. The aral sea was once the 4th largest inland water bodies in the world with a volume of km3 and a surface area of 66000 km2 3. A terminal lake having no outflow, its secular level is determined by the balance between river and groundwater inflow and precipitation on its surface on the one hand and evaporation from the sea on the other. Between 1960 and january 2006, the level of the small aral fell by m and the large aral fell by 23 m table 1. An ecological disaster cotton requires a lot of pesticides. The aral sea basin has three distinct ecological zones.
The two rivers that feed it are the amu darya and syr darya rivers, respectively reaching the sea. In 1991, the soviet union collapsed, leaving the five republics of central asia with an unexpected independence. The aral sea basin is considered a disaster zone by many. It shows that a former fishing zone is now a dry zone affected by salination. Water and environmental management in the aral sea basin. Aral sea 64,500 km2 facts about the aral sea disaster.
The aral sea size and water balance are fundamentally determined. Started filling up 140,000 yrs ago, during the pleistocene epoch when the syr danya river began flowing in it. Cotton production at aral sea, uzbekistan and turkmenistan. The 8mile dam, which opened in 2005, allowed more water to flow into the smaller northern aral sea, increasing its volume 68 percent by 2008. As the sea dries up the contaminants become exposed on the surface and enter into the soil while also being blown into the air. Aral sea and avoid similar, looming disasters in other regions. Ddt and other chemicals were sprayed heavily and it then flowed into the aral sea. The aral sea used to be the fourth largest lake in the world, after the caspian sea, lake superior and lake victoria. They achieved significant results not only in dealing with social and economic consequences of the disaster, but also in restoring some sections of the aral sea by 20142016. Other fish species were introduced in the 90s and there was also an attempt to introduce water to compensate salinity, but the efforts were in vain thompson, 2008. Bbc news asiapacific dam project aims to save aral sea.
It is situated west of the pamir and the tien shan in a semiarid to arid region 4. The aral sea crisis differs from other major environmental disasters like the quickonset ones that occurred in bhopal. The aral sea environmental health crisis journal of rural and. The aim of the programme is to improve the economic, food, health and environmental security of the most vulnerable groups in the aral sea. By 1991 almost all river water was being diverted for irrigation and the sea had lost half its area. Request pdf the aral sea disaster the aral sea is a huge terminal lake located among the deserts of central asia. In the beginning, the soviet union simply did not care, and the aral sea was one of many soviet projects with the stated goal of taming nature. 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. Water and environmental management in the aral sea.