The Shrinkage of the Aral: What are the causes?

What was the

Why I chose this topic:

As I browsed through the internet searching for interesting topics that I could use for my
Environmental Sciences project, the desiccation of The Aral seemed to be one of the most
interesting and ideal topics. The Aral’s shrinkage played a significant impact on the globe. The
case itself had almost everything, from the desiccation and the impact, all the way to the
recovery and its progress. Furthermore, what really made this phenomenon stand out was the fact
that it was caused through human activities. In today's world, we often fail to realise how we are
actually affecting the environment and its impact. However, I believe that the Aral case is what
really makes us realise the importance of the environment, and guides us on a path towards a
sustainable future.

The Aral Sea, once a large saltwater lake that spanned the boundaries of Kazakhstan and
Uzbekistan, has now almost vanished. It was home to over 195 species of free-living
invertebrates, 20 species of fish, 71 species of parasites, and 650 species of microalgae (Zhang et
al.). The lake, which once stood as the fourth largest in the world, is responsible for the loss of
several fisheries and communities dependent on it. Today, only about 10% of the lake's original
volume remains (U.S. Geological Survey). It has been split up into two parts, the North Aral
present in Kazakhstan, and the South Aral present in Uzbekistan.

The Aral Sea supports a desert-continental climate that features wide-ranging air diurnal
temperatures, hot summers, cold winters, and sparse rainfall. The primary source of water for the
Aral Sea was the Amu Darya and the Syr Darya. The desiccation of the Aral Sea is said to be one
of the most profound environmental scares till date. The catastrophe is not a natural
phenomenon, the occurrence was due to human interventions altering the natural flow of rivers
feeding the Aral Sea and other man-made causes. Earlier, the Aral Sea was a balancing factor for
the surrounding climate, softening harsh Siberian winds in the cool winters, and lowering heat in
the summers. However, the disappearance of the Aral Sea has caused climatic changes such as
reduced precipitation, colder winters, and hotter summers.

There are many reasons contributing to the Aral’s sudden shrinkage, these include Soviet-era
water diversion projects, increased agricultural demand, environmental mismanagement, soviet
challenges, etc.

In the 1960s, the Soviet Union operated a major water diversion project on the arid plains of
Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan. The two rivers responsible for feeding the Aral Sea
were now being used to support the growth of agriculture in the desert. Before the project, the
rivers were solely flowing towards the Aral Sea, however, the project caused a sparse amount of
water to be fed to the Aral Sea as it was now navigating itself towards irrigation through
inefficient and neglected canals which often underwent water leakages. The water leakages and
water going towards irrigation proved to be a huge burden upon the Aral’s shoulders, eventually
causing both the rivers to part ways from the Aral Sea by the year 1989. The project proved to be
a significant contributor to the shrinkage of the Aral.

Over the years, the demand for water-intensive crops such as cotton expanded throughout the
globe just as it did in the region's housing the Aral. Cotton was primarily being used for
producing textiles, economic growth through export, and minimising reliability on other nations.
Soon, cotton planters saw themselves flooding the area surrounding the Aral in the hopes of
acquiring a decent living in order to support their families. The water these crops required was
immense, enough to play a major stakeholder in the shrinkage of the Aral. It is estimated that
producing one kilogram of cotton requires approximately 7000-29,000 litres of water depending
on the irrigation methods (Micklin 54). The farmers relied on the two rivers for irrigation,
notable methods of irrigation include the usage of canals, pumping stations, and flood irrigation
in which farmers flooded their fields with water. As the demand for water intensive crops
increased, the water in the Aral Sea and canals decreased.

The shrinkage of the Aral, also contributed by Environmental mismanagement shook the globe
and provided people with an idea of how fragile and vulnerable our environment truly is. To
date, the Aral’s shrinkage has been one of the chief examples of environmental mismanagement.
The most prominent blunder made by the government was disregarding the Environmental
Impact Assessment (EIA). This essentially implied that complications such as soil salinization,
desertification, and loss of biodiversity were not sought after. This brings light to how the
government sacrificed the environment in order to see economic growth and results, further
resonating with how the shrinkage of the Aral was indeed an anthropogenic phenomenon.
Secondly, the monoculture for cotton caused over-reliance on the growth of cotton, which over
time, led to the over-usage of water in the Aral region. Due to the lack of diversity in agriculture,
water was used more, therefore, calling for a crisis.

With the end of the Soviet rule in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, came a series of challenges that
further endured the Aral's shrinkage. Economic constraints, now peaking, restrained cotton
farmers from shifting fields as it was now, one of the only reliable sources of income. These
constraints also proved responsible for restraining the advancement of agricultural technology,
the growth of infrastructure, and most importantly, environmental remediation. The inefficient
irrigation systems, neglected canals, and the shrinkage of the Aral could not be addressed, further
challenging the endurance of the Aral. Post-Soviet rule in these regions additionally, brought
with them, shattered water management. Lack of coordinated water management was prevalent
throughout Central Asian nations causing countries to focus solely on their own economic and
agricultural development and growth. The Amu Darya and Syr Darya, who were already in a
fragile state, were now being robbed of their water in extreme amounts every day as a result of
no unified strategies for water consumption.
The shrinkage of the Aral Sea shook the world, posing a significant threat to its surroundings as
well as nations. The impact of it was severe, contributing to environmental degradation, health
hazards, economic hardship, and the loss of biodiversity.

The area surrounding the Aral, a rich source of agriculture, water, and even fertile soil is now
classified as the exact opposite of what it was in the past. What was once an ideal location for
settling in and making a livelihood, now stands as a ghost town disdained by civilians.
Throughout the shrinkage of the Aral, the area surrounding it underwent intense desertification;
today, the area is nothing more than a regular desert. As the seabed of the Aral was exposed, so
was the area, to soil erosion causing the loss of Arable Land. The area has now transformed from
a lush paradise into a barren wasteland.

The Aral, a land known for its vibrant fishing industry, is responsible for the loss of over several
people's livelihoods. By 1977, the fish harvest was reduced by 75 percent, and by the early 1980s
the commercial fishing industry had been eliminated (NASA Earth Observatory). Migration soon
made its way to the Aral as people lost their means of living in order to search for better living
conditions. The number of people displaced from their homes due to this phenomenon is
considered to be more than 100,000 (Merrifield A547).

Health hazards had spread throughout the Aral, primarily due to the exposed seabed. Aral Sea
concentrations of the pesticides dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE) and
dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) do not exceed WHO recommendations, posing a
significant threat to its residents (Nadareishvili et al). The water that was left, and the soil have
been affected from the soil. The concentration of dioxin and dioxin-like compounds
(polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB), polychlorinated dibenzodioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated
dibenzofurans (PCDFs)) has been found in fish, sheep, milk, eggs and several other foods.
Carrots and onions, important in the local diet, have been shown to contain high amounts of
chlorinated organic pesticides. These finds essentially inform us of how food items consumed
by locals on a daily basis contain major health hazards. Additionally, the exposed seabed which
saw winds blowing across it, contaminated the wind with a hazardous dust containing salt,
fertiliser, and pesticides.

According to the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the shrinkage rate of the Aral Sea has slowed
since 2005 (Wang et al.). This result has been possible through numerous recovery initiatives
aimed to make the Aral region safe, healthy, and habitable once again. The North Aral has been
navigating itself towards an enhanced future. Conversely, the South Aral has not been able to
recover and is now on the road to complete desiccation.

2005 marked the completion of the Kok-Aral Dam which had been rebuilt from the temporary
Aklak Dam. The Kok-Aral dam has been built at the southern edge of the Aral sea, separating
the North Aral with the South Aral, it is approximately 12 km long; what this location and dam
does is essentially blocking the flow of water from the North Aral to the South Aral in order to
increase and stabilise water levels in the North Aral, which is currently being fed by the Syr
Darya. The dam raised the water in the Northern Aral by 4 metres, reduced salinity by 50
percent, according to the World Bank. The Kok-Aral has been one of the biggest recovery steps
taken to recover the North Aral, construction of the Kok-Aral cost roughly over 83 million U.S
dollars (Woodhouse). Nearly two decades ago, fisheries had completely collapsed and the
population of fish had undergone complete eradication as a result of the high salinity in the water
due to the previously decreasing water flow. Owing to the Kok-Aral dam, fisheries have found
their way back into the Aral, which has also seen a return in the population of fish as the salinity
levels have decreased. The North Aral has now been injected with a new life.

Today, the government has effectively brought out efficient initiatives; these initiatives show a
remarkable display of reflecting on the past. The inefficient canals, through immense efforts, are
now being repaired and upgraded in order to enhance their function. Having proposed to invest
over 126 million U.S dollars, The Syr Darya Control and Northern Aral Sea (NAS) Project is one
of the many projects aimed at repairing these canals and restoring the Aral region. However, it is
unfortunate that Uzbekistan failed to fund initiatives such as these in order to recover the South
Aral.

The most notable mistake made by the government was the faulty water management system in
the Aral, in order to avoid future crises such as the desiccation of the Aral, sustainable water
management is the most crucial imperative. In cases such as the depletion of Lake Chad, Dead
Sea, Owens Lake, Lake Urmia, etc; faulty water management systems has been the leading
cause. Organisations such as the IWRM (Integrated Water Resource Management) are
continuing to establish and enhance water management systems throughout the globe in an effort
to instil sustainability within these systems. Research conducted by these organisations has
brought out precious information such as the fact that drip irrigation can reduce water use by
over 30-40% (Food and Agriculture Organization, 2022).

The desiccation of the Aral has also highlighted the need for regional cooperation among nations
housing waterbodies. Regional cooperation is necessary for establishing an efficient and
sustainable framework, this would also assist nations in simpler sharing of water bodies.
Transboundary agreements are essential in order to elude conflicts and ensure an equitable
distribution of resources.

As the world glides towards the future, climate change makes itself more prevalent throughout.
The need for infrastructure suited to withstand climate change and advanced strategies to
overcome changing weather conditions are needed preemptively. Today, technology such as
drought resistant crops have already made their way into markets; this technology has the power
of revolutionising the world.

In conclusion, the desiccation of the Aral Sea serves as a great reminder of how precious our
environment truly stands; It proves humans as a great contributor towards environmental
catastrophes. Most importantly, it asks us a question: how can we manage to cope and prevent
future catastrophes? The question has endless answers, however, the main insights have been
provided in this essay.
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