General information about the Aral Sea

Current ecological state of the Aral Sea and its impact on neighboring countries

Over the past half century, the volume of the Aral Sea has decreased by almost 10 times, and the fourth largest sea in the world has divided into several conditionally independent bodies of water. Using modern technologies of remote sensing of the Earth, in 2021, it was possible to observe such water bodies as the Northern Aral Sea with a volume of about 20,0 km3, salinity of 10-14 g/l; the Western Aral Sea has a volume of 42,5 km3, salinity of 170 g/l; and Lake Tuschibas with a volume of 1,7 km3, salinity 90 g/l.

Due to global climatic phenomena, the influence of the dry and low-water period, there is a further regression of the water bodies of the Aral Sea, which determines the increase in the concentration of fine salt during salt-dust storms.

More than 5,4 million hectares (54 thousand km2) turned into a salt desert, a source of salt aerosols into the Earth's atmosphere, with the Kazakh part accounting for about 2,0 million hectares (20 thousand km2).

Billions of tons of toxic salts have accumulated in the Aral Sea, which got here along with the water after washing the fields. According to experts, there are about 107-114 billion tons of salt on the dried-up bottom of the Aral Sea. This circumstance, as well as the destruction of almost all spawning grounds, led to a catastrophic reduction in the fish population, which numbered about 200 species. This dealt a crushing blow to the local fishing industry, which once employed about 60 thousand people.

Every year, winds lift up to 80 million tons of toxic salts from the dried-up bottom of the Aral Sea. They are carried by dust storms for many thousands of kilometers - from Western Europe to the peaks of the Tien Shan and the Himalayas, having a negative impact on the health of people and ecosystems of all our countries. Hundreds of thousands of people breathe toxic air. Salt dust covers high-mountain glaciers, which give rise to many rivers, with an impenetrable film. This has a detrimental effect on the quality of water, which ultimately ends up in water supply systems and wells located even thousands of kilometers from the source, not to mention residents of coastal areas, who often have diseases of the eyes, lungs, digestion and genitourinary system, blood and hematopoietic organs, etc.

At present, the picture of extensive use of natural resources is still observed. For example, to obtain high yields of cotton, rice and other agricultural crops, a large number of mineral fertilizers and pesticides are introduced into the soil, some of which do not even decompose in nature, and therefore pose an even greater danger to humans. This entire complex of pesticides and herbicides, from the fields with water gets into the Syr Darya, and therefore into the Aral Sea, seeping into groundwater and underground waters, which are used for drinking and household needs. This issue is especially relevant for the Kyzylorda region, located in the lowest part of the Syr Darya, and therefore felt the impact of this factor more than anyone else.

The main factor limiting species diversity and the resource significance of plant complexes is the pollution of water and soils by various pollutants (pesticides, herbicides, etc.).

Violation of the qualitative composition of soils and water proportionally increases the consumption of irrigation water, significantly exceeding scientifically based standards. According to forecasts, if the current trend of salinization of water bodies and soils continues, then most of the agricultural lands in the Syr Darya River basin (probably the situation in the Amu Darya River basin is similar) will become unsuitable for irrigated agriculture within several decades. The level of salt pollution of rivers will also be unsuitable for drinking water supply. This type of river pollution can cause irreparable damage to the environmental and socio-economic development of the Kyzylorda region.

In accordance with the Unified System of Classification of Water Quality in Water Bodies of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Syr Darya River belongs to class IV: — the Kokbulak village section (10,5 km north, north west (hereinafter NNW) from the post): water quality belongs to class 4: suspended solids – 125,62 mg/dmXNUMX3, magnesium – 42,79 mg/dm3, sulfates – 510,25 mg/dm3, phenol – 0,0015 mg/dm3. The concentration of magnesium and phenols does not exceed the background class, the concentration of sulfates and suspended matter exceeds the background class.

In 2021, FAO specialists conducted work in the Kyzylorda region to compile a soil salinity map. According to the data obtained, almost 85% (20,3 million hectares) of the total agricultural land area (22,6 million hectares) is currently salinized in the region. This situation requires immediate action to apply new technologies to regulate the rate and degree of salinization of the territory. Inefficient agricultural management causes soil erosion, salt pollution, overgrazing, and growing desertification. Pastures make up 46,7% of the region's territory. Currently, more than 80% of pastures are degraded mainly due to soil salinization, groundwater mineralization and irrational use of natural resources.

At present, great efforts are being made to combat salt and dust transfer, to fix moving sands, and to localize the negative impact of this phenomenon on the environment. In order to fix the sands on the exposed seabed, several thousand hectares of saxaul and other unpretentious plants that easily tolerate the conditions of the semi-desert and desert climate are planted here every year. As a result, forest areas today in the Kazakhstani part of the dried bed of the Aral Sea (DAB) have been created on almost 337 thousand hectares, including through self-reproduction.

In 2021-2030, it is planned to plant trees on an area of ​​1,1 million hectares in the Kazakhstan part of the ODAM. It is expected that in the near future, the Green Aral Sea will make a colossal contribution to the global process of achieving carbon neutrality. After all, one saxaul retains up to 4 tons of sand, 1 hectare of saxaul at the age of four years absorbs 1158,2 kg of carbon dioxide per year and emits 835,4 kg of oxygen, the shrub plant cherkez (Richter's saltwort) per 1 hectare absorbs 1547,8 kg of carbon dioxide and emits 1116,4 kg of oxygen. Accordingly, 1,1 million hectares will consume about 1,3 million tons of carbon dioxide.

At the same time, it is necessary to regulate the water regime in the shallow channels of the Great Aral Sea with an area of ​​about 2 thousand km.2, because with high water content, saxaul dies and more moisture-loving plants, such as tamarisk, sprout. In subsequent, dry years, tamarisk dies, and saxaul died earlier. Therefore, it is necessary to provide for the regulation of water resources in the shallow channels of the dried bottom of the Aral Sea, to consider the possibilities of exploiting groundwater using abandoned wells and developing new groundwater wells.

The shortage of water resources and the decline in the quality of drinking water, land degradation, climate change, the increase in morbidity among the population, especially children, and the complex set of related socio-economic and demographic problems are the harsh realities that the residents of the Aral Sea region face.

Taking into account that natural ecosystems do not have administrative and state boundaries, it should be stated that the environmental problems of the Kazakh part of the Aral Sea region are identical to the problems of the Republic of Karakalpakstan and the Dashoguz velayat of Turkmenistan.

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