Once the worlds fourth largest lake has shrunk by 90% in 50 years.
The Aral Sea, once the world fourth largest lake has shrunk almost 90% in size and was described by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon as “one of the worlds worst environmental disasters”.
The secretary general urged Asian leaders at the centre of the atrocity to make more efforts to solve the problem.
The main reason for the disappearance of the lake was due to a Russian project in the Soviet era, to boost cotton production in the area which led to rivers that went to the lake being diverted.
The UN secretary, Ban Ki-moon, who was on a formal visit to five countries that belonged to former Soviet Central Asia, saw the once flourishing lake only to be replaced with a long desert, camels and a ship graveyard.
Ban, told of his shock by saying “On the pier, I wasn’t seeing anything, I could see only a graveyard of ships, It is clearly one of the worst disasters, environmental disasters of the world. I was so shocked”
He also explained that he had heard of the lake disappearing but, he had no idea that it was this bad.
The lakes disappearance has also had a devastating effect on the fishing industry with towns on the side of the once huge lake which resembled a part of a sea making their living from it.
The evaporation of the water has also caused health hazards to people living in cities near by as the evaporation of the lake left salt water on the ground, and when blizzards occur in the area, salt is flown as far as Japan and Scandinavia.
The UN secretary general has urged leaders of the countries surrounding the lake to come to an agreement but cooperation has been low as there are financial and political dilemmas halting progress to turn the lakes fortune around.
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