by Olivia Emisar

Created on: July 23, 2010

They say that “pictures speak louder than words” and this is self evident in ‘before’ and ‘after’ pictures of the Aral Sea found in National’s Geographic’s web page dedicated to this once thriving and now, vanishing sea. 

- Where is the Aral Sea? – 

The Aral Sea is located in Asia and shared by two bordering countries, roughly split in half between Kazakstan and Uzbekistan.  

- What is the problem – 

Simply stated, the problem is a major catastrophe created by diverting water and harsh climate conditions that have accelerated the drying of what was one of the largest lakes in the world that provided the Soviet Union with a thriving fishing economy. 

The overall decline of the Aral Sea is approximately 60% according to National Geographic's report based on NASA's arial pictures.  What was once Sea floor is now arid land used to transport goods via camels.  The human population is suffering greatly due to the lack of water and vanished fish and dependent plants and animals.  The contribution to the decline of the Aral Sea is largely due to human activity and at a much smaller scale, global warming.

The Aral Sea portion that is in Kazakstan is roughly 80% dry.  The Uzbekistan portion is healthy due to a dam that has systematically diverted more of its water to its ever growing rice crops and cotton crops.  The ensuing result has been a rapid evaporation accelerated by the salt contents and toxic dust storms.  The ensuing result that is decimating plant and animal life while creating hardships on the human population that has become increasingly fatal. 

- It is not all bad news – 

What was once the World’s fourth largest lake has the potential to become a giant again thanks to the combined efforts from the United Nations (UN), European Union (EU) and The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the continuing dialogue between the two countries involved to reach an agreement over water rights and management. The campaing to save and restore the Aral sea is working to save lifes and an area of the planet that is dire need of restoration. 

Business News Europe (BNE) reports today that the efforts to bring water to the dying sea are being successful and within a few years, the dry land will be under water once again.  Over 15 types of fish are now thriving in the Northern region where once there was only one type left (flounder).

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