The Aral Sea Water Transfer Disaster

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The Aral Sea Water Transfer Disaster

• Created by
• Josh Mellits and Natalie Lazaroff

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Where is the Aral Sea?
The Aral Sea is located in central Asia between
Kazakhistan (Borats homeland) and Uzbekistan
(Milanas homeland).
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History of the Aral Sea

• In 1918 Russia decided that the two rivers which
  fed the Aral Sea, the Amu Darya and the Syr
  Darya, would be diverted to irrigate the desert.
• Russia hoped to grow rice, melons, cereal, and
  especially cotton.
• Construction began in the 1930s, much of which
  were poorly built, letting water leak out or
  evaporate.
• Was an important mode of transportation
• The Aral Sea was the fourth largest lake in the
  world.

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ARAL SEA, 1964
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ARAL SEA, 1985
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ARAL SEA, 2003
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The Aral Sea Over the Years
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AFTERMATH

• Extreme shrinkage of the once abundant Sea has
  altered the climate and the livelihood of
  millions of people (The Water Page)
• The ecosystem in the areas surrounding the Aral
  Sea has been greatly affected
• Desertification occurred unexpectedly
• An estimated 60,000 people abandoned their
  fishing livelihoods
• Of the regions 500 species of birds, 200
  species of mammals, and 100 species of fish most
  have perished over the past four decades.

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AFTERMATH cont.

• Aral region pesticides have been spread all over
  the world
• Salt and pesticide chemicals have seeped into
  groundwater and caused health disasters and
  further complications for agriculture.
• Polluted water runs down into lowland reservoirs
  causing secondary salinization and making
  irrigation less effective.
• The overall health of the people of the Aral Sea
  region has decreased

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Current Situation

• The sea's surface area has shrunk by
  approximately 60, and its volume by 80.
• In 1960, the Aral Sea was the world's
  fourth-largest lake, with an area of
  approximately 68,000 km² and a volume of 1100
  km³ by 1998, it had dropped to 28,687 km², and
  eighth-largest.
• Over the same time period its salinity has
  increased from about 10 g/l to about 45 g/l. As
  of 2004, the Aral Sea's surface area was only
  17,160 km², 25 of its original size, and still
  contracting.
• In 1987 the Aral Sea split into two separate
  bodies of water the North Aral Sea and the South
  Aral sea
• In 2003 the South Aral Sea divided into eastern
  and western basins

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Is There an End in Sight?

• The really big problem about the Aral Sea
  disaster is that it can't be prevented. The only
  way to stop it is for Uzbekistan to stop
  producing cotton, but it can't because its
  economy depends on it. One thing they could do to
  slow the process down is at least close the
  canals' tops because, before the water gets to
  the fields, about half of it evaporates.
• As of now no one is able to provide a solution to
  fix the Aral Sea disasterwhat would you do ?

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Bibliography

• http//www.africanwater.org/aral.htm
• http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aral_Sea