The Aral Sea - Water Conflicts Flashcards
Where is the Aral Sea?
North-Western part of Uzbekistan and Southern Kazakhstan
What ranking was the Aral Sea previously?
Formerly one of the fourth largest lakes of the world
What is the area of the Aral Sea?
68,000 kilometres
Since what year has the Aral Sea been steadily shrinking from?
Since the 1960s
Why has the Aral Sea been shrinking?
In the early 1960s, the Soviet Central Government decided to make the Soviet Union self-sufficient in cotton and increase rice production - Government officials therefore ordered the additional amount of water needed to be taken from the two rivers that feed the Aral Sea
What was built across each river?
Large dams
They built a central canal with a far-reaching system of “feeder” canals. How many miles long was it?
850 miles
Over how many years have they experienced a severe drop in water level?
30 years
What else has happened to the Aral Sea?
The shoreline has receded and the salt content has increased
How many metres has the water level dropped by?
16 metres
By what percentage has the volume reduced by?
75%
Which industry suffered due to the marine environment becoming hostile and killing plants and animals?
Fishing
How many known species of fish are now extinct?
20
How many fifths has the sea shrunk by?
Two-fifths of its original size
What rank is the Aral Sea now?
10th in the world
What has happened to the climate?
Become more extreme
What has happened to the water?
It is contaminated and the drinking water supplies are bad
Which respiratory illnesses are more common?
Cancer and Tuberculosis
What is the high child mortality rate as a result of the contaminated water?
75 in every 1,000 newborns
What is the maternity death rate as a result of the contaminated water?
12 in every 1,000 women
How many people did the now collapsed fishing industry used to employ?
40,000
Who are the stakeholders in the Aral Sea scheme?
1) Former soviet governments
2) Fishing community
3) Local residents - health problems
4) Scientists - climate has changed and extinction of species
5) International economists - no longer feed themselves due to infertile land, could create 10 million environmental refugees
How many lakes did the Aral Sea split into?
4
What estimated number of people left their fishing livelihoods?
60,000
Why does the cotton production pollute the water and the environment?
Because of the use of chemicals and fertilisers which therefore makes the water unsafe and undrinkable
What percentage of people were unemployed?
17.5%
Where did the men go to find work in order to supply for their family?
They migrated in order to earn money and then send it back home to families
By 2007, the Aral Sea had declined to what percentage of its original size?
10%
When could the Aral Sea disappear entirely by?
The end of this decade
Why did the Aral Sea come back to life?
100 million dollar building of a dam which lead to the water levels shooting up by more than 3 metres
