Whose Water Is It Anyway Issues of the
- Slides: 8
Whose Water Is It Anyway? Issues of the Aral Sea
Learning Objectives • Describe how and why the Aral Sea is disappearing • Identify problems resulting from the shrinkage of the Aral Sea • Examine issues that arise between countries in situations like this. Can/does the U. S. face similar issues? • Develop and propose ideas to arrest the shrinkage of the sea and still maintain country/neighbor relations 2
ARAL SEA Once the 4 th largest lake withdrawals from the incoming rivers Syr Darya and Amu Darya into the Aral Sea began in the 1930’s and have increased. The rivers have little or no flow into the Aral Sea and it has shrunk. What are some of the impacts? Karakum Canal 1954 completed 1967 in 3 Turkmenistan
ARAL SEA SAGA Reduction in the area of the Aral Sea 1960 -2004 Ships left high and dry from the shrinking sea 4
Aral Sea Issues • Destruction of fishing Industry and livelihood • Raising of the water table (salinization) • Destruction of wildlife (4. 5 X salty as originally) most fish, birds and mammals have died or left • The winters are harsher/longer, the summers hotter/shorter in the area of the Aral Sea (climate change) • Salt blows and contaminates ground • Contaminated Irrigation overflow ponds have been created • Increased incidence of throat cancer (9 X world rate) 5
Aral Sea Shrinkage 6
Aral Sea Canals were poorly constructed 35%-70% of the water is lost to evaporation and seepage Seepage lakes-contaminated by pesticides Qara. Qum Canal The Amu Darya no longer reaches the Aral Sea 7
Power. Point developed by Christensen Marshall High School, MI
