According to Ahmad, this is a real possibility. Due to the improved water flow in the Syr Darya river, roughly 2. Since the Kokaral dam was built in , over 30 billion cubic metres to date has spilled from the Northern Aral Sea. Raising the dyke walls by another four metres would help to keep an additional 15 billion cubic metres of water in the North Aral Sea, he adds.
This would extend the area covered by the sea, which currently measures sq km sq miles , by another sq km sq miles. Plans to do this were put forward as part of a second phase of the World Bank project, but it has recently stalled. According to the World Bank the project is currently awaiting approval from the Kazakh government to move forward.
In Moynaq, Uzbekistan, which also once had a thriving fishing industry on the Aral Sea, the story has been very different Credit: Taylor Weidman. Across the border in Uzbekistan, the story is very different.
While the World Bank has worked on some projects to restore the existing lakes around the South Aral Sea, such as Lake Sudoche, it has had less success. The main obstacle appears to be the demand that Uzbeks have for it, as the Amu Darya river flows are used upstream for agricultural purposes and does not have enough water flow to fill up the South Aral Sea. Greater reliance on cotton production for income has also hindered attempts to restore the South Aral Sea to its former glory.
From to , Uzbekistan provided more than two-thirds of the cotton produced in the Soviet Union. It ranked fifth out of 90 cotton-producing countries, and it was the second-largest exporter of cotton fibre to the US. In , the eastern basin of the South Aral Sea completely dried up and the water never returned. There are still jobs available in Moynaq. Share Tweet Email. Read This Next Wild parakeets have taken a liking to London.
Animals Wild Cities Wild parakeets have taken a liking to London Love them or hate them, there's no denying their growing numbers have added an explosion of color to the city's streets. India bets its energy future on solar—in ways both small and big. Environment Planet Possible India bets its energy future on solar—in ways both small and big Grassroots efforts are bringing solar panels to rural villages without electricity, while massive solar arrays are being built across the country.
Epic floods leave South Sudanese to face disease and starvation. Travel 5 pandemic tech innovations that will change travel forever These digital innovations will make your next trip safer and more efficient. But will they invade your privacy? Go Further. Animals Wild Cities This wild African cat has adapted to life in a big city.
Animals This frog mysteriously re-evolved a full set of teeth. Animals Wild Cities Wild parakeets have taken a liking to London.
Recent reports from the region have suggested an increase in the water level and also the reappearance of fishes as well as the expansion of fishing production.
As these restoration efforts started drawing international attention, former U. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon had also asked Central Asian leaders to step up efforts to resolve the problem. Though the North Aral sea has been revived to a large extent the bits and pieces of the South Aral Sea still continue to disappear, forming the Aralkum desert on the lake bed.
As experts argue, there is more to do to bring back the sea, such as a serious cross-country method with a collective responsibility. Data and charts, if used, in the article have been sourced from available information and have not been authenticated by any statutory authority. The author and Marine Insight do not claim it to be accurate nor accept any responsibility for the same. The views constitute only the opinions and do not constitute any guidelines or recommendation on any course of action to be followed by the reader.
The article or images cannot be reproduced, copied, shared or used in any form without the permission of the author and Marine Insight. Journalist by training, and an academic in aspiration, Shamseer Mambra currently works as a freelance journalist, after spending three years in the newsrooms of some of the reputed media houses in India. When not at work, he likes to read, click photographs and go for a ride on his bike.
Your email address will not be published. This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website Got it! Beginning of the catastrophe The Aral sea region, which was, according to historical documents, inhabited by desert nomads and used to support a booming fishing industry in the region.
The increasingly salty water became polluted with fertilizer and pesticides. The blowing dust from the exposed lakebed, contaminated with agricultural chemicals, became a public health hazard.
The salty dust blew off the lakebed and settled onto fields, degrading the soil. Croplands had to be flushed with larger and larger volumes of river water. The loss of the moderating influence of such a large body of water made winters colder and summers hotter and drier.
In a last-ditch effort to save some of the lake, Kazakhstan built a dam between the northern and southern parts of the Aral Sea.
0コメント