Even before the early sixties of the twentieth century the Aral Sea was the world's fourth largest lake.It all started with intensive water abstraction for irrigation of cotton and rice fields from the rivers that feed the Aral Sea - the Amudarya and Syrdarya, which reduced to a critical point filling the sea.And then, in the early sixties, was launched already irreversible reverse the drying process ... From that time began the Aral Sea problem.
In 1989, the Aral Sea split into two isolated pond - South Aral Sea, Uzbekistan and owned by North Aral Sea - Kazakhstan.By 1996, it lost ¾ of its volume of water, and the bulk of residents forced to leave the area.By 2003 - the amount of water was only about 10%, and its surface area - about a quarter of the original.The coastline retreated to 100-150km, salinity has increased two and a half times.Formed in place once the deep-sea sand and salt desert, with an area of 38,000 km2, has been named Aralkum.
After retreating sea remained dry seabed, covered with salt deposits and agricultural chemicals and pesticides washed off in time with the local fields.Frequent dust storms typical of the desert, raises all in the air and spread on the vast territory.Dust often spread over distances up to 700-800km and reaches Russian regions such as Chelyabinsk and Orenburg regions.Inhaling such poisonous dust undermines people's health, reduces immunity, leading to allergic reactions, and many other dangerous diseases.The local population, as evidenced by medical experts, suffers from widespread respiratory diseases, digestive disorders, cancer of the esophagus and throat, anemia.The cases of kidney disease, liver and eye disease.
Aral Sea was once the richest seafood supplier.Now the level of salinity, it is so great that many species of fish were killed.The most common inhabitant in recent years, there remains a Black Sea turbot, imported in the 70s, which is most adapted to life in the salty waters of the sea, but by 2003 had disappeared and she: salinity became 2-4 times more than usual for her seaenvironment.In the tissues of fish harvested now often exhibit an extremely high level of pesticides and is naturally also affects the health priaraltsev.Fishing and processing industry dies, and the population is still without a job ...
Ecological problems of the Aral Sea affected not only the Aral Sea region.On dry surfaces annually is spread over 100 thousand. Tonnes of salt and fine dust with a mixture of different poisons and chemicals, providing a devastating effect on all life around.Enhance the effect of pollution contributes to the fact that the Aral Sea is located in the path of a strong jet stream of air, which contributes to the removal of dust in the high layers of the atmosphere, so it is not surprising that traces of salt flows observed in Europe and even (who would have thought!) The Arctic Ocean.
lowered the water level in the Aral Sea has fallen and the groundwater level, to accelerate the process of desertification of the surrounding terrain.Since the mid-1990s, instead of lush green shrubs, trees and grasses here are seen only rare bundles of plants (halophytes and xerophytes), adapted to dry and saline soils.Mammals and birds, thus, kept no more than half of the native species.The climate within the 100-kilometer zone from the original shoreline has changed: the winter was colder than in the summer - hotter decreased level of humidity, which naturally affected the amount of rainfall, were more likely to occur drought and reduced vegetation period.
destroy the environment can be very fast, and its restoration - a process long and difficult.Full restoration of the Aral Sea, alas, is no longer possible, but attempts are being made (and unsuccessfully) the recovery of the northern - Small Aral.The Government of Kazakhstan with the help of the World Bank is taking steps to increase the level of water in it and thereby reduce its salinity.
