CS : Aral Sea, Uzbekistan

Question 1

Since when has the Aral been shrinking in size

Answer 1

1960

Question 2

Previously Aral ranked as what largest saline body of water?

Answer 2

4th largest

Question 3

In 2007 what was the Aral Sea compared to original; size?

Answer 3

10%

Question 4

Cause of Aral sea shrinking in size

Answer 4

River feeding the sea diverted by the Soviet Union for farmland irrigation

Question 5

What crop is the Soviet union using Aral irrigation mainly for? Why is this notable?

Answer 5

Fruit / cotton farming

highly water inefficient

Question 6

What is the name of the river which feeds the Aral?

Answer 6

Amu Darya

Question 7

What remains of the Aral is in what condition? Why is this the case?

Answer 7

heavily polluted

site of weapons testing and industry

Question 8

How many mammal species remain at the Aral?

Answer 8

22 out of an original 70

Question 9

What type of social impact has the drying up of the Aral caused?

Answer 9

• health problems in Uzbekistan

dry river bed = harmful chemicals

Question 10

Health problems mean infant mortality is one of highest in world in Uzbekistan, what % is it at?

Answer 10

10%

Question 11

Previously the Aral supplied what % of Uzbekistan’s fish

Answer 11

25%

Question 12

How many have become unemployed due to collapse of Uzbekistan fishing industry? What type of effect is this?

Answer 12

60,000

Economic negative multiplier effect (closure of reliant businesses e.g fish canneries)

Question 13

What effect has the dry up of the Aral had on climate?

Answer 13

caused more extreme seasonality w/ harsher temperatures

Question 14

What has happened to Kazakhstan’s water table?

Answer 14

risen to the surface

= meaning drinking and irrigation water is salty

Question 15

What restoration project in 2006 pledged to provide relief to those reliant on the Aral?

Answer 15

World Bank Restoration Project

Question 16

Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan all pledged what in 1994 to help the Aral recover?

Answer 16

1% of their budgets

Question 17

Who highlighted solutions for the oral in 2000? What was this titled?

Answer 17

UNESCO

“Water-related vision for the Aral Sea”

Question 18

What was a UNESCO presented solution for the Aral? How long would this take to restore Aral?

Answer 18

installing dams to fill Aral

or redirecting water from other rivers

30years

Question 19

What X2 fish was caught predominantly in the Aral?

Answer 19

bream and carp

Question 20

What has happened due to the little Aral in the north undergoing restoration works?

Answer 20

ecological recovery

Question 21

What has happened to the “Big Aral” in the south which has not received restoration works?

Answer 21

increasing salinity levels

no fish expected to survive in it since the 1990s

Question 22

Why will restoring the Aral sea not return water security?

Answer 22

water will still be salty

will require desalination to be used as freshwater supply

Question 23

Who gained increased water security from the Aral Sea’s diversion?

Answer 23

Soviet Union

Question 24

Who gained increased water security in the Soviet Union?

Answer 24

farmers

Aral sea was never used as significant source of fresh water