The Aral Sea is on the brink of disappearing

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon recently visited this region, labeling it one of the most significant ecological disasters of our era. He stressed the urgent need to prevent the total disappearance of what was once the fourth largest lake on the planet. To him, this serves as a stark warning to all of humanity about the consequences of environmental neglect and pollution.

Here’s a quick breakdown of how this catastrophe unfolded. Because of its sheer scale and the incredible biodiversity it supported, people used to call this lake a sea. Over time, it began to dry up because it wasn't receiving enough inflow from the Amu Darja and sir Darja rivers. Essentially, a massive portion of the water that used to feed the lake was diverted to irrigate cotton plantations. During the era of the Soviet Union, land nationalization in this part of central Asia led to the creation of vast industrial cotton farms that required heavy irrigation. The infrastructure built to channel water to these fields—much of which is still in use today—was poorly designed and even worse maintained. As a result, nearly half the water evaporated or leaked away before ever reaching the crops, and this massive overconsumption eventually choked the lake dry.

You can check out some images at these links:
http://infranetlab.org/blog/wp-conte...aral_sea02.jpg
http://ocho.uwaterloo.ca/~pfieguth/P...sert-ships.gif
http://www.gly.uga.edu/railsback/CTW/AralSeaBoats.jpeg
http://java.nationalgeographic.com/s...ages/water.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...f/Aral_Sea.gif
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...alSeaModis.jpg

That’s an old story. No clue why we're even bringing it up now.🤷

The government over in Uzbekistan completely gave up on the lake because they’re broke. Only the Kazakh side actually put in some effort, so you can see minor improvements there, but it’s nothing significant. That whole Uzbek section? It's basically doomed.
It’s just classic bullshit that happens when people try to play God with nature. The outcome was obvious from the start, though I honestly have no idea why they even went down that path. Unless, of course, they decided the textile industry was somehow more important than food security.
Who knows what those Soviet engineers were actually thinking.🤷

rustywalker42 said:That’s an old story. No clue why we're even bringing it up now.🤷

The government over in Uzbekistan completely gave up on the lake because they’re broke. Only the Kazakh side actually put in some effort, so you can see minor improvements there, but it’s nothing significant. That whole Uzbek section? It's basically doomed.
It’s just classic bullshit that happens when people try to play God with nature. The outcome was obvious from the start, though I honestly have no idea why they even went down that path. Unless, of course, they decided the textile industry was somehow more important than food security.
Who knows what those Soviet engineers were actually thinking.🤷

Look, you shouldn't have made that comment. Yeah, they identified the biggest environmental disaster out there, but what's the point of talking about it? We’re sinking. Who actually cares? Why bother trying when people just get suffocated for attempting to make a difference? Raising awareness... what good does it do?

And nobody could miss today's news about Brad and Angelina. They aren't. Arrived in San Francisco. 🙄

I’d say this belongs in the World section. The world around me.)

Maria Barnes said:Look, you shouldn't have made that comment. Yeah, they identified the biggest environmental disaster out there, but what's the point of talking about it? We’re sinking. Who actually cares? Why bother trying when people just get suffocated for attempting to make a difference? Raising awareness... what good does it do?

And nobody could miss today's news about Brad and Angelina. They aren't. Arrived in San Francisco. 🙄

I’d say this belongs in the World section. The world around me.)

Anderson, I’ve been following this case for years. I know exactly why I said what I said.
Of the two countries bordering the Aral Sea, only one actually decided to save what little is left. The other one? They just don't have the cash. Apparently, the project is too expensive and takes way too long.
Sure, raising awareness is fine, but what does it actually achieve? Every few years, we get the same headline while the lake—well, at least the part doomed to die—just keeps disappearing.
So, since you're so eager to offer suggestions, tell me: what exactly would you do?

Man, I remember back in high school, my geography textbook had this whole map showing how the Aral Sea was just shrinking away...

I actually blurted out, "Well, at least Kazakhstan and that other country will get some extra territory now."😁

rustywalker42 said:Anderson, I’ve been following this case for years. I know exactly why I said what I said.
Of the two countries bordering the Aral Sea, only one actually decided to save what little is left. The other one? They just don't have the cash. Apparently, the project is too expensive and takes way too long.
Sure, raising awareness is fine, but what does it actually achieve? Every few years, we get the same headline while the lake—well, at least the part doomed to die—just keeps disappearing.
So, since you're so eager to offer suggestions, tell me: what exactly would you do?

I'd argue it all comes down to the media. If the press decides to hammer on a disaster, they can wake up the public. Once the public is awake, they can pressure politicians, donors, and activists to actually act. If nobody knows about it, nothing happens. I noticed today that plenty of outlets are covering this—even Ban Ki-Moon was involved. Clearly, there's a push starting. People are paying attention.

I don't know how much weight this carries. But if it matters—if we're talking about an ecological disaster—then we need to shout about it. Inform people. Mobilize them. Why is this happening? Can it be stopped? At what cost? Is this a local issue or a global one that could hit our own backyard too? Anything but sitting around shrugging and calling it "old news." This issue is arguably more critical than the Swine Flu scare (look at how the media successfully mobilized the world over a manufactured crisis just to rake in funding). Here, the problem is right in front of our eyes.

Bottom line: spread the word and pass on the facts. 🙂

Maria Barnes said:I'd argue it all comes down to the media. If the press decides to hammer on a disaster, they can wake up the public. Once the public is awake, they can pressure politicians, donors, and activists to actually act. If nobody knows about it, nothing happens. I noticed today that plenty of outlets are covering this—even Ban Ki-Moon was involved. Clearly, there's a push starting. People are paying attention.

I don't know how much weight this carries. But if it matters—if we're talking about an ecological disaster—then we need to shout about it. Inform people. Mobilize them. Why is this happening? Can it be stopped? At what cost? Is this a local issue or a global one that could hit our own backyard too? Anything but sitting around shrugging and calling it "old news." This issue is arguably more critical than the Swine Flu scare (look at how the media successfully mobilized the world over a manufactured crisis just to rake in funding). Here, the problem is right in front of our eyes.

Bottom line: spread the word and pass on the facts. 🙂

No, they're just going through the motions. When has anything concrete actually been done regarding any issue when we talk about the UN and its agencies?

I don't know how important it is. But if it matters—if they're calling it an ecological disaster—then people need to be talking about it, informing the public, mobilizing them. Why is it disappearing?

You don't even know what's going on, yet you're foaming at the mouth about how nothing is being done.🙂

The deal is, back in the day in the former Soviet Republic of Uzbekistan, the Amudarya and Syr Darya rivers were diverted into a massive canal system to irrigate cotton fields for the industry. Since the lake lost its water source, the logical result followed: it dried up.
Besides, it's all right there on Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aral_Sea

Can it be prevented? How? (How much money?) Is this a local or a global issue—could something similar happen in our neck of the woods? Anything but shrugging your shoulders and saying it's "old news." This problem is definitely more significant than swine flu (just look at how the world was successfully mobilized by the media over a made-up problem to pull in cash). Here, the problem is plain as day.

It can't happen here. For one, we don't have projects like that, those kinds of rivers, or a landscape that's that water-scarce. Plus, in the States, irrigation is used on maybe 0.8% of arable land. The only potential danger of that scale would be a 250-year-old project like the Danube-Sava Canal, which has its own thread on this forum.
To prevent this or restore the Aral Sea, you'd have to destroy Uzbekistan's cotton industry—which is one of the biggest in the world—and dump billions upon billions of dollars into returning the rivers to their original beds so they could supply the Aral Sea again.
What else do you want to know? I'm planning on visiting, so if I go, I'll post a travelogue here.😉

The Dead Sea is shrinking just as fast as the Aral Sea—it’s basically the same story. See, Israelis (mostly) decided they needed more water for farming, so they diverted what used to be a massive, healthy flow from the Jordan River. Now, instead of a full river, you've just got this tiny, polluted little stream trickling in, and honestly, even that isn't there year-round!

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=1332897

People just don't seem to think about the long game. It doesn't matter what their politics are—everyone's just grabbing everything they can right now, acting like tomorrow isn't even happening. That's why the Aral Sea is disappearing too. And the kicker? These two spots aren't just isolated incidents, unfortunately... they're connected to the bigger picture.

rustywalker42 said:No, they're just going through the motions. When has anything concrete actually been done regarding any issue when we talk about the UN and its agencies?

I don't know how important it is. But if it matters—if they're calling it an ecological disaster—then people need to be talking about it, informing the public, mobilizing them. Why is it disappearing?

You don't even know what's going on, yet you're foaming at the mouth about how nothing is being done.🙂

The deal is, back in the day in the former Soviet Republic of Uzbekistan, the Amudarya and Syr Darya rivers were diverted into a massive canal system to irrigate cotton fields for the industry. Since the lake lost its water source, the logical result followed: it dried up.
Besides, it's all right there on Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aral_Sea

Can it be prevented? How? (How much money?) Is this a local or a global issue—could something similar happen in our neck of the woods? Anything but shrugging your shoulders and saying it's "old news." This problem is definitely more significant than swine flu (just look at how the world was successfully mobilized by the media over a made-up problem to pull in cash). Here, the problem is plain as day.

It can't happen here. For one, we don't have projects like that, those kinds of rivers, or a landscape that's that water-scarce. Plus, in the States, irrigation is used on maybe 0.8% of arable land. The only potential danger of that scale would be a 250-year-old project like the Danube-Sava Canal, which has its own thread on this forum.
To prevent this or restore the Aral Sea, you'd have to destroy Uzbekistan's cotton industry—which is one of the biggest in the world—and dump billions upon billions of dollars into returning the rivers to their original beds so they could supply the Aral Sea again.
What else do you want to know? I'm planning on visiting, so if I go, I'll post a travelogue here.😉

I don't know how much this matters and I want to find out. (The Great Lakes dried up too, so it's not exactly a catastrophe—except Canada doesn't have a coastline.) But at first glance, it seems important enough to push back against anyone trying to downplay the whole thing.

Maria Barnes said:I don't know how much this matters and I want to find out. (The Great Lakes dried up too, so it's not exactly a catastrophe—except Canada doesn't have a coastline.) But at first glance, it seems important enough to push back against anyone trying to downplay the whole thing.

Look at the big picture here. We’re talking about losing a massive saltwater basin—a major hub for the fishing industry—and that’s going to mess with the local climate too. It’ll get even drier, and eventually, the whole area is just going to be covered in desert sand. All of this carries heavy long-term social and economic consequences for the region. It's an inevitable disaster unless someone decides to dump billions into a rescue project. But let's be real: who actually wants to do that? There's zero financial incentive, at least nothing significant. So, is it doomed? I'm 99% sure it is. Money runs the world, after all.

Quincy:

The Mediterranean Sea disappeared too, so it’s hardly a tragedy—except that Canada doesn't have a coast.

The Mediterranean Sea vanished about 600,000 years ago—well, what was left of it, anyway. Modern humans weren't even a thought back then. You want to blame people? Don't. This was pure geology, not human activity. Simple as that.

Look, at first glance, this seems important enough that I need to say something. I can't just sit here while people try to downplay the whole situation.

I’m not being dismissive; I’m calling out hypocrisy. You read about this today, or maybe yesterday when it first broke, but I’ve been reading about this same nonsense for years and nothing ever changes. You’ll forget this in a few days. I won't. That's the whole point. The problem is that most people don't actually think about it. They read a headline, get outraged, and then move on by tomorrow. I don't blame them—modern life basically trains us to believe there are more pressing issues to obsess over, like who Ante Gotovac is dating right now. It’s a caricature, sure, but I’m not far from the truth.