by
Martin Banks
That was the message from former German Greens MEP Frank Schwalba-Hoth who was speaking at an event in Brussels about the threat still facing the Sea which in the past 30 years has dwindled to just 10 of its former size.
The briefing, at PressClub Brussels-Europe, heard that the degradation of the Aral Sea is one of the worst environmental crises that our world has faced, on a par with deforestation of the Amazon. The salt from the dried seabed is leaking problems not only within the region, but also throughout the world.
The retreat of the sea began with ill-conceived Soviet irrigation schemes far upstream, which cut off the vital supplies of water that were needed to replenish the lake. Continued mismanagement, pollution and increased temperatures due to global warming have all taken a terrible toll on the size and health of the Aral Sea.
Schwalba-Hoth, a founding father of Green politics, told EBR that the EU and member states have an important role to play in efforts to revive the Sea. He said, "Despite being thousands of kilometers from the Aral Sea, the EU can play a key role because those countries directly connected to the Sea, including Kazakhstan, do not currently work well together on common activities. The EU, with its experience of cross border policy, can bring these countries together so they can be more successful in reviving the Aral Sea."
The event heard that in 1993, the International Fund for saving the Aral Sea (IFAS) was established. The main objectives of IFAS are to finance programs to save the sea, and to bring about the ecological rehabilitation of the region and the Aral Sea Basin as a whole taking into account the interests of all states. In recent years, huge efforts have been put into reversing this disaster.
In 2003, with the cooperation with the World Bank, work on the First phase of the North Aral restoration project, which required an investment of $85 million, began. This includes the eight-mile Kokaral dam, completed in 2005, which allows water of the Syr Darya to accumulate thus helping to restore delta and riverine wetland ecosystems in the Northern Sea.
Today, the Aral Sea is actually divided into two parts - Large (South) and Small (North). The Large is located on the territory of Uzbekistan and fed by the waters of one of the largest rivers in the Amu Darya region. The Smaller body of water lies on the territory of Kazakhstan, this latter part of the sea is the first to show tangible signs of revival. Water levels increased from a low 38m to a more desirable level of 42m. The water surface increased by 20% and today salinity is at 13 grams per litre, not far from 1960 levels. In 2015 the Aral sea approached the Aralsk harbor by 17 km compared to 95 km in 2001. Fish catches from the region increased from 52 tons in 2004 to 11 thousand tons in 2015.
Life is slowly reviving. Local residents report better health and well being after the micro-climate around the water body has improved. Now, many rural people and fishermen are resettling the north Aral region, and the ecosystem is slowly recovering.Zander fish, closely related to Perch, are being exported, and have indeed been on sale in Brussels.But at this time, only in the smaller part of is the recovery evident. More work is clearly needed.Fresh water flow from the Amu Darya into the larger southern Aral Sea continues to decline.
Experts fears that the shallow eastern basin of the South Aral, which has shrunk drastically since it detached several years ago from the Amu Darya, may finally dry up completely in the coming years. Unlike in Kazakhstan, which has introduced drip irrigation and other water-saving technologies in agriculture, Uzbekistan or Turkmenistan have yet to make any significant steps in this direction.
Experts say that modernisation of the entire irrigation system would help save about 12 cubic km of water annually. In addition, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan are actually increasing the volume of farmland occupied by water-intensive cotton for export, the briefing heard. Cotton is Uzbekistan's most valuable cash crop. Accounting for 3.3% of global production, the country is the world's sixth largest producer and fifth largest exporter of cotton.
Kyrgyzstan has frozen its participation in the activities of International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea, whilst Tajikistan and Turkmenistan have distanced themselves from the problems of the region.
However, full recovery of the North Sea requires not only the flow of water, but also expansion of the Kokaral dam, it was said. It is necessary to increase the capacity in order to prevent water losses due to runoff in its southern part. Now must come the second phase of the project to restore the Northern Aral Sea. But for the implementation this plan the assistance of the global community is vital: Initially, from the World Bank, for the necessary investment in the superstructure of the dam.
If the second phase is completed, the water will return to Aralsk, and the city will be a seaport once again. The lake systems will be restored and environmental and economic recovery of the northern part of the Aral Sea will be our gift to future generations.
More comment came from former MEP Tom Wise who, during the 2004- 2009 legislature, sat on the European Parliament's Fisheries Committee. He said, "During that time I became very much aware of the problems associated with the devastation of fish-stocks, whether the problem stems from simple over fishing, as is the case with EU waters, especially British waters, or, as in the case of the Aral Sea through an environmental disaster. "Fishing is not only a means of sustaining life, it is also one of the oldest forms of economic activity. When fish stocks collapse, unemployment, poverty, displacement of communities, and in the worst cases, hunger, ensue.
"As with any environmental problem, it is always the most vulnerable member of society - those on the lowest rungs of the economic ladder - who suffer the most. The people who are least able to help themselves. Recovery of fish stocks does not happen overnight." Wise added, "Recovery requires political will, economic support, and long term international strategy. "From my perspective, although I am not an expert on the region in question, the recovery of fish stocks in the northern Aral Sea that we have seen so far is little short of astonishing. To go from a state of virtual devastation to a situation where catch from the Aral Sea is actually being exported is an extraordinary achievement." He said, "But this is just the beginning. To continue the recovery requires political will and long term commitment from all the countries in the region, as well as economic and technical support from the international community. Without that support the progress we have seen will stall.
"I would urge the international institutions, especially the World Bank, to keep up the momentum. People's livelihoods depend on it."
By: N. Peter Kramer
