Efforts to Resolve the Aral Sea Crisis
This is a
| Geolocation: | 45° 1' 39.166", 60° 36' 51.9638" |
|---|---|
| Total Watershed Population: | 46,987,240 million |
| Total Watershed Area: | 1,233,403 km2476,216.898 mi² |
| Climate Descriptors: | Semi-arid/steppe (Köppen B-type), Arid/desert (Köppen B-type), Continental (Köppen D-type), Dry-summer |
| Predominant Land Use Descriptors: | agricultural- cropland and pasture, forest land, rangeland |
| Important Uses of Water: | Agriculture or Irrigation, Domestic/Urban Supply |
Contents
Summary
The Aral Sea was, until comparatively recently, the fourth largest inland body of water in the world. Its basin covers 1.8 million km2 , primarily in what used to be the Soviet Union, and what is now the independent republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Small portions of the basin headwaters are also located in Afghanistan, Iran, and China. The major sources of the Sea, the Amu Darya and the Syr Darya, are fed from glacial meltwater from the high mountain ranges of the Pamir and Tien Shan in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. The environmental problems of the Aral Sea basin are among the worst in the world. Water diversions, agricultural practices, and industrial waste have resulted in a disappearing sea, salinization, and organic and inorganic pollution. The problems of the Aral, which previously had been an internal issue of the Soviet Union, became international problems in 1991. The five new major riparians- Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan-have been struggling since that time to help stabilize, and eventually to rehabilitate, the watershed. In February 1992, the five republics negotiated an agreement to coordinate policies on their transboundary waters. Subsequent agreements in the 1990s and in 2002 have updated policies and reorganized transboundary water management institutions. As a result the atmosphere gained from the Heads of State of the Aral Sea Basin nations and their recognition that the benefits of cooperation are much higher than that of competition, interstate water management has been coupled with broader economic agreements including trade of hydroelectric energy and fossil fuel to promote regional goals.
Natural, Historic, Economic, Regional, and Political Framework
Image 1. Map of the Aral Sea and its tributaries, notably the Syr Darya and Amu Darya.[1]
Issues and Stakeholders
Analysis, Synthesis, and Insight
Key Questions
- ^ Product of the Transboundary Freshwater Dispute Database, Department of Geosciences, Oregon State University. Additional information about the TFDD can be found at:http://www.transboundarywaters.orst.edu/research/case_studies/Aral_Sea_New.htm
| Area | 1,233,403 km² (476,216.898 mi²) + |
| Climate | Semi-arid/steppe (Köppen B-type) +, Arid/desert (Köppen B-type) +, Continental (Köppen D-type) + and Dry-summer + |
| Geolocation | 45° 1' 39.166", 60° 36' 51.9638"Latitude: 45.0275461 Longitude: 60.6144344 + |
| Land Use | agricultural- cropland and pasture +, forest land + and rangeland + |
| Population | 46,987,240 million + |
| Water Use | Agriculture or Irrigation + and Domestic/Urban Supply + |
