The sea in 1973 and in 2004
Fourth bigger sea in the world 40 years ago, the Aral Sea has lost today more than the half of its surface and three quarters of its volume. It is the result of the farming policy conducted during the soviet time, with the intensive cotton production in the desert Aral region. To do so, barrages have been built up on the Amou-Daria and Syr-Daria, the two rivers arriving in the sea, to irrigate. Receiving almost no water then, the Aral Sea coasts have stand back more than 120 km in some places, letting the ports dry, and leading the fishers to ruin. In 1989, the sea divided in two parts: “the small sea” in the north and “the big sea” in the south.
Consequences are multiple. Diminution of evaporation rendered the climate dryer, and precipitations are rarer. Minerals contained in the water have increased (x4), leading to animals and plants disappearance. The dry sea bed let place to huge salted areas, and the wind takes away the salted dust on hundreds of miles. Kazakhstan decided to react and built up a barrage, financed in part by the World Bank. This barrage, finished in 2005, permitted to the “small sea” to see its level growing up, and to extend on some kilometres, arriving next to the former ports. Fishes come back in the sea, and miraculous fishing attract a lot of fishers. However, the “big sea” could not be saved, and could disappear in 25 years, leading to a new desert. Moreover, no tests have been done on fishes since the 90’s. The region was used for nuclear tries, and biological and chemical experimentations during the soviet time. Water is also contaminated by pesticides used for the cotton production. In hospitals, children birth with abnormalities and the children death rate is one of the higher in the world. Animals taken in the Aral Sea are harmful, but give work and money to people. So silence is kept.
The Aral Sea region is sometimes considered as ecologically dead. But if the sea seems impossible to save now, emergency for governments is to get agree on a rational use of water, so as to permit to the 50 millions of inhabitants to live correctly.
Consequences are multiple. Diminution of evaporation rendered the climate dryer, and precipitations are rarer. Minerals contained in the water have increased (x4), leading to animals and plants disappearance. The dry sea bed let place to huge salted areas, and the wind takes away the salted dust on hundreds of miles. Kazakhstan decided to react and built up a barrage, financed in part by the World Bank. This barrage, finished in 2005, permitted to the “small sea” to see its level growing up, and to extend on some kilometres, arriving next to the former ports. Fishes come back in the sea, and miraculous fishing attract a lot of fishers. However, the “big sea” could not be saved, and could disappear in 25 years, leading to a new desert. Moreover, no tests have been done on fishes since the 90’s. The region was used for nuclear tries, and biological and chemical experimentations during the soviet time. Water is also contaminated by pesticides used for the cotton production. In hospitals, children birth with abnormalities and the children death rate is one of the higher in the world. Animals taken in the Aral Sea are harmful, but give work and money to people. So silence is kept.
The Aral Sea region is sometimes considered as ecologically dead. But if the sea seems impossible to save now, emergency for governments is to get agree on a rational use of water, so as to permit to the 50 millions of inhabitants to live correctly.
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