In just 50 years, what was once the fourth largest lake on the planet has been transformed into a vast desert. This desert, covering approximately 38,000 square kilometers, is dotted with some water stripes and represents one of the greater environmental disasters of recent history. The Aral Sea, an interior sea or salted lagoon located in Central Asia, between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, was once one of the largest lakes in the world. In the 1960s, it had a surface of 68,000 square kilometers and a remarkable biodiversity. However, its basin is now practically dry and is known as the Aralkum desert, while what remains of its waters extends for just 8,000 square kilometers.
To understand the desertification of the Aral Sea, it is necessary to go back to 1960, when the Soviet Union diverted the rivers that fed it, Syr Daria and Amu Daria, to promote the cotton industry in the surrounding fields. As a result, the climate of the region became even more arid, aggravated by the lack of water contribution. This raised the salinity of the water and led to the disappearance of marine life, seriously affecting fishing communities. The excessive use of insecticides and fertilizers in crops contaminated the soil, accelerating its deterioration. The progressive evaporation process left a saline land unable to hold most crops, bringing devastating consequences both regionally and internationally.
The formation of the Aralkum desert has multiplied the amount of dust in the atmosphere, reducing air quality in nearby cities and contributing to the melting of glaciers due to the accumulation of particles on their surfaces. This dust, highly toxic due to containing fertilizer and pesticide residues, has been associated with an increased incidence of diseases in the local population, reinforcing the environmental and sanitary impact of the disappearance of the Aral Sea.