Case study - The Aral Sea

Question 1

Describe the location of the Aral Sea?

Answer 1

• The northern part of the Aral Sea lies in Kazakhstan whilst the southern part lies in Uzbekistan
• It is a closed drainage area, the eastern part is highly mountainous

Question 2

How big is the Aral Sea Basin?

Answer 2

The whole of the Aral Sea Basin covers about 1.8 million square kilometres.

Question 3

When was water first extracted from the Aral Sea?

Answer 3

• In the 1930’s, planners started to build canals to take water from the two main rivers in order to develop irrigated cotton and rice farming in the area.

Question 4

How did the former Soviet government view the extraction of water from the Aral Sea?

Answer 4

Communist leaders began an ambitious irrigation scheme to develop fruit and cotton farming in what had been an unproductive region. Purpose was to create employment for millions of farm workers.

Question 5

How many did the fishing industry employ before the extraction of water from the Aral Sea?

Answer 5

60,000

Question 6

What was the impact of the extraction of water from the Aral Sea on the fishing industry?

Answer 6

A once prosperous fishing industry that had employed 60,000 people in villages around the lakeshore collapsed.

Question 7

How has the extraction of water from the Aral Sea impacted the local residents?

Answer 7

Health problems are now caused by windblown salt and dust from the dried-out sea bed. Drinking water and parts of the remaining sea have become heavily polluted as a result of weapons testing, industrial projects, and fertiliser and pesticide run-off.

Question 8

What is the infant mortality rate in the areas surrounding the Aral Sea?

Answer 8

Infant mortality rates are among the highest in the world, with 10% of children dying in their first year, mainly due to kidney and heart failure.

Question 9

How did the Uzbekistan government view the extraction of water from the Aral Sea?

Answer 9

The irrigation schemes based on the Aral Sea allowed this poor country, with few resources, to become one of the world’s largest exporters cotton.

Question 10

What do the Uzbekistan government hope is discovered beneath the dry seabed?

Answer 10

The Uzbekistan government hope that oil is discovered beneath the dry seabed.

Question 11

How has the extraction of the Aral Sea impacted the biodiversity in the area?

Answer 11

• Only 160 of 310 bird species remain
• Only 32 of the 70 mammal species remain
• Only 24 fish species remain

Question 12

How has the extraction in the Aral Sea impacted the climate of the area?

Answer 12

The climate has changed significantly, the area has become even more arid and prone to greater extremes of temperature.

Question 13

How has the extraction of the Aral Sea impacted the farmers in Kazakhstan?

Answer 13

Irrigation has brought the water table to the surface, making drinking water and food crops salty and polluted.

Question 14

What are the likely future implications of the extraction of water in the Aral Sea?

Answer 14

• People in the region may no longer be able to feed themselves because the land has become so infertile.
• Up to 10 million people may be forced to migrate and become environmental refugees

Question 15

What have inspections from water engineers revealed about the quality of the irrigation canals?

Answer 15

Inspections have revealed that many of the irrigation canals were poorly built, allowing water to leak out or evaporate.

Question 16

What percentage of its water does the Karakum Canal allow to go to waste?

Answer 16

The Karakum Canal, which is the largest in Central Asia, allows approximately 30-75% of its water to go to waste.

Question 17

Give two economic impacts of the extraction of water from the Aral Sea?

Answer 17

• The shops and local services struggled to cope with the effects of the mass migration away from the area that took place
• 40,000 jobs were lost in the fishing industry

Question 18

Give two environmental impacts of the extraction of water from the Aral Sea?

Answer 18

• By 1990, as much as 70 million tonnes of salt had risen into the air from what was once the sea bed
• Large salt storms swept through the area, they were huge in size and measured 400 km by 40 km

Question 19

Give two social impacts of the extraction of water from the Aral Sea?

Answer 19

• Cancer became more common amongst the local residents, particularly throat cancer
• High toxic dust rates led to a large volume of people developing respiratory diseases