Water Case study: Water insecurity in the Aral Sea

Question 1

Context

Answer 1

1. Once world’s 4th largest inland sea - Aral Sea had been steadily shrinking since 1960s
2. By 2007, sea had declined to just 10% of its original size, split into separate lakes and fallen up to 40m

Question 2

Why such a shortage?

Answer 2

• 1. Late 1950s Soviet govt diverted much of water from rivers Amu Darya and Syr Darya - fed into Aral Sea
     
     2. This done for irrigation and agriculture

Question 3

What did the former Soviet Union government do about it?

Answer 3

1. Communist leaders began an ambitious irrigation scheme designed to develop fruit and cotton farming in what has been an unproductive region and create jobs for millions of farm workers

Question 4

Impact on fishing community

Answer 4

1. once prosperous industry employing 60,000 people in surrounding villages had collapsed
2. Unemployment and economic hardship are everywhere.
3. Ships lie useless on the exposed seabed

Question 5

Impacts on local residents

Answer 5

-health problems caused by wind-blown salt + dust from dried out seabed

-health problems caused by wind-blow salt + dust from dried out seabed
drinking water and parts of remaining sea become heavily polluted result of weapon testing, industrial projects and pesticide/fertiliser runoff

-infant mortality rates among highest in world, 10% of children dying in their first year, mainly of kidney failure and heart failure

Question 6

Uzbekistan government

Answer 6

irrigation schemes based on Aral Sea allow this poor country, with few resources, remain one of worlds largest exporters of cotton

Question 7

Scientists

Answer 7

• Only 160 of the region’s 310 bird species, 32 of the 70 mammal specie and very few of the 24 fish species remain
• climate changed as well + area more arid and prone to greater extremes of temperature

Question 8

Kazakhstan farmers

Answer 8

irrigation brought water table to surface, making drinking water and food crops salty and polluted

Question 9

international economists

Answer 9

• people in region may no longer be able to feed themselves due to land becoming infertile
• up to 10mil people maybe forced migrate + environmental refugees

Question 10

Water engineers

Answer 10

inspections revealed many of irrigation canals were poorly built = allowed water to leak out or evaporate