Causes And Consequences Of The Aral Sea Shrinking

Conflicts between nations can arise from numerous issues, such as territorial disputes, but governments will also go war over natural resources such as water. Therefore, it is obvious that water has had a direct impact on the life of mankind over the history which can act as a key element. Indeed, over the history humankind has attempted to manipulate the natural resources that in some circumstances they have had negative and destructive effects on the environment. For instance, the advent of modern technologies allowed people to create thousands of structure such as dams to control and steer water. Despite many opportunities, countless problems and difficulties are created as a result of this phenomenon. One of the major issues of new era is Aral Sea. The Aral Sea, located in the deserts between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, is the site of one of the largest man-made environmental disasters. Poor agricultural and wrong policies have robbed the beauty of this lake. In 1960, the Aral was the world’s fourth largest lake, behind Lake Victoria, the Caspian Sea and Lake Superior (Aladin et al., 2009). It covered 68000 km2 with volume of 1090 km3. By 2010, the Seas area had diminished to around 21000 km2 and its volume had decreased to 124 km3. In reality, this phenomenon acts as a silent disaster and has had a profound effect on various aspects. As a consequence social and economic problems were formed which were inevitable because of the lives of the majority of local people tied to the life of Lake exceedingly. On the other hand, as the sea has contracted, its beneficial impact on climate has diminished significantly and people can experience extensive climate change. In this paper, it is investigated some crucial factors which caused this disaster, also attempted to find some ways to manage and solve this abnormal phenomenon.

As a matter of fact, many social and environmental deleterious effects can be traced as a result of the salty and lifeless lake. For instance, as the volume of water has shrunk and become more salty large number of native fish specious disappeared, and many duties that directly and indirectly related to Aral fishery have vanished. Moreover, the drought forced cotton farmers to terminate cotton production and switch to other unprofitable tasks. Therefore, the rate of unemployment increased undoubtedly and thousands of people were forced to abandon the cities and villages in the region and as a result of this event mandatory immigration is formed. There is mounting evidence that changes in the Aral Sea level have had a negative effect on the region’s climate. Statistics have proved that Aral affects moisture and temperature conditions in the area. It is reported, that winters have become cooler and summers warmer which have caused the duration of the crop-growing season has lessened substantially (Micklin & Aladin, 2008). This phenomenon left a lot of salt on the bottom of the lake which in this situation wind can carry deposited salt to distant areas and alter the quality and fertility of the soil. In general, traces of Aral salt have been discovered as far away as 1000 km to the southeast of the sea which had a ruinous role in the natural function of the agriculture industry and public health. Accordingly, the dying of the lake will have detrimental consequences on the ecosystem and can modify the biodiversity and it could lead to noticeable destruction of natural habitats and species.

Primarily, it is obvious that both human and climate change involvement have contributed to Aral’s shrinkage. In fact, one of the major reasons that affected the level of Aral Sea was the huge amount of water which was taken from the rivers that connected to lake for farming purposes, because cotton and rice were two main products of surrounding fields; However, it is possible in principle to reestablish the Aral Sea by the implementation of the comprehensive and extensive plans. First of all, one of the fundamental ways to save the Aral Sea is to divert Siberian Rivers to the region (Kamalov, 2003). It was predicted that the expense of such a project would be prohibitive, but it can be expected that the Aral Sea have the chance to get out of critical situation. Actually, the water which is diverted to the land could alleviate the potential pressure of agriculture industry over the lake. Certainly, like many countries which suffered from dangerous effects of drought, projects of transferring water and release water from dams can have significant influences on the process of revival. In contrast, sustainable and equitable management of water resources needs for countries which are involved in this situation. It is very indispensable to accelerate the revival process of the lake by creating an appropriate balance between demand and supply of water in the region. Truly, if an efficient program is imposed and implemented by local governments, we will observe the beauty of the lake again.

However, the artificial projects can be suitable and worthwhile to bring back life to the lake, but it should be considered that agricultural sector is recognized as one the efficient indexes on the process of this disaster. It is not complex to prove which the chief reason of this event was formed as repercussion of agricultural activities. Actually, the Aral Sea has been shrinking rapidly since 1960s, mainly because the improper exploitation of water for irrigation purposes (Benduhn, 2004). In reality, the massive amount of water taken from its feeder rivers for rice and cotton farming. So, the rivers which once fed the Aral have been switched to irrigate the nearby fields of rice and cotton. Scientific sources confirmed that changing the dominant crops from those that require abundant water to drought resistant crops could be proportionate to the importance of the issue. Furthermore, introducing latest technologies into the agriculture industry such as utilizing modern irrigation systems which are capable to control the consumption of water and protect the environment against water tension. As a consequence, the optimal use of water beside modifying the culture pattern and minimizing traditional irrigation can be act as key factors for protecting the importance of the lake and biodiversity in the region.

The other damaging consequences of the Aral Sea which affect all human life is the health problem that can be caused by salt and dust particles. A large volume of salt remains as sediment on the bottom of the lake and wind can carry them from one place to another place. The declining quality of air is cited as the main factor in the increase in respiratory ailments and other illnesses in the region, particularly between children. So, it is very impressive for countries which buckle under pressure to follow some natural goals. Besides from solutions were introduced, creating proper vegetation and form artificial forests that consist from drought-resistant trees to prevent desertification will be very helpful. There is no doubt that the effects of desertification are known as crucial factors in this situation which trigger many problems. Trees by retaining the soil moisture and improving the soil conditions can act as a favorable and desirable reason to eliminate the effect of drought and prevent desertification and soil erosion. As many countries that located in the Middle East creating green bed can increase the quality of soil and upgrade the standard of environment and operate as a reason to stop expanding desert.