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The breakup of the Former Soviet Union has forced those now independent states into a state of confusion. Republics that were once one nation now are separate governments. They now must compete for trade alliances, industrial resources, financial resources, and most importantly, agricultural resources. An area of developed concern is the Aral Sea.
The Aral Sea was once the fourth largest lake in the world, located in Kazakstan and Uzbekistan, but between 1960 and 1990, the Aral Sea dropped into the sixth position. By 1980, more than 95 percent of the inflow into the Aral Sea was diverted for irrigational purposes. Due to financial competition, and policies that gave preference to irrigation for agriculture, the Soviet Satellites withdrew unprecedented amounts of water from the two rivers feeding the Aral Sea. These two rivers were the only sources of inflow into the Aral Sea; their names are Syr Darya and Amu Darya. Much of the biological diversity has disappeared, of the 24 different species that once thrived in this lake, only four remain.
If these processes continue, this lake has the potential to become a lifeless brine lake. There are many different by-products of this disaster ranging from the decline in fish population diversity to a rise in the amount of brutal sand storms to declining human health in the area. Since the collapse of the Aral Sea, millions of people living in the surrounding area have developed some type of health problem. From mild allergies to thyroid cancer, these effects are serious. Scientists have determined a major contributor to the cause of these diseases are winds that whip the salt on the receding shoreline into the air, creating blinding sand storms. Since the 1960 s the amount of occurrences of these storms have increased sixty fold.
The salt is carried over a hundred miles and is deposited on land where it reduces the productivity of the land. The main reason for diverting the water flow into the Aral Sea was for irrigation to cotton. Kazakstan and the surrounding countries reliance on cotton for its major source of income have superceded all other uses for this land. All water from Syr Darya and the Amu Darya has been diverted into irrigation canals to support the growing cotton industry.
Early on, leaders in Moscow felt that this sacrifice was extremely beneficial to the entire U. S. S. R. Yet 40 years later, an extremely salinize and shrunken sea, loss of variety of fish populations, loss of other species of wildlife, frequent toxic salt storms, changed climate, and an enormous decline in human health have all lead to the realization that their short term economic goals are not always the most beneficial. All of these consequences have costly implications, especially if one were to include the cost of medical bills from illnesses, installation and maintenance of desalinization plants and so on.
Over the last 35 years, the Aral Sea has shrunk from 66, 000 square kilometers to 37, 000 square kilometers, with the area of the sea decreasing by over 40 % and the volume decreasing by over 60 %. All the water left in the sea is extremely salinize from leftover due to evaporation, along with contamination from pesticides and fertilizers. The shorelines are so salinize they cannot support any vegetation, and from salt being deposited onto nearby lands, farmers must clear new lands to grow their cotton crops. This now leaves vast open areas, which become subject to erosion.
Storms have developed that carry toxic salts, much more frequent, longer in duration and effect people up to 1000 miles away. Human health has also severely declined. Almost two thirds of the population are ill, with the infant mortality rate two times the world average. Eighty-four percent of children ages 3 - 12 are underweight along with increasing cases of typhoid, hepatitis, cancer of the esophagus, and gastrointestinal diseases. Eighty percent of all women are anemic.
Many children fall ill from drinking their mothers breast milk. The collapse of the Aral Sea for irrigating cotton crops was a disastrous choice for the U. S. S. R. Although the United States and many other organizations are putting efforts towards rebuilding the Aral Sea, these efforts will never be enough to repair the damage done.
Species of fish endemic to the Aral Sea are now wiped out, the surrounding land soiled with salt deposits and rapidly declining human health, all for one thing, money. The people of the world must learn to be wary of Mother Nature because one day, we could cause a disaster that can never be repaired. Bibliography: None
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Research essay sample on Collapse Of The Aral Sea
