Ecological catastrophes - part 1

Hi all,

In my weak of posting on this blog I will try to bring you some information about major ecological catastrophes, which took place in previous century. No, there will be not a word about recent oil leak in Gulf of Mexico, I'm quit sure you heard enough on the news. In the next days I will be writing about Aral Sea, Bohpal and Chernobyl power plant. I all this places industrial mistakes brought catastrophic results for people and ecosystems.

I'll start from Aral Sea.

Between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan lied one of the world largest lakes – the Aral Sea. 50 years ago It had surface of 68,000 square kilometers - almost the size of Ireland. Lake had great meaning for fish industry in whole region. Today total size of what has left from it is no higher than 17,160 square kilometers – rest have turned into desert.

In early forties of previous century Soviets began to construct irrigating canals. The plan was to divert flow of rivers which had their end in the lake and make nearby desert suitable for cotton production. Construction was very cheep therefore most of water was never reaching fields, simply evaporation or leaking. Although project was very ineffective the main goal have been reached – today cotton is one of the major Kazakhstan crops. Destroying of the lake was no surprise for government, some of the Soviet experts treated giant salty lake as a nature's error.

Between 1960 an 2000 most of the lake waters evaporated . Today its waters divided into two separate small lakes on the west and north. 

Shrinking of the lake resulted in increase of salinity, making huge impact on ecosystem. Where once were waters full of fish there is now salty desert pouted with toxic chemicals and pesticides. Dust storms spreads pollution destroying crops and people's health. A lot of population suffers from cancer and lungs diseases. Industry which once employed 40 000 people and contributed
one-sixth to the Soviet Union's entire fish catch have been destroyed. Cites once lying at lake shore now are in the middle of the desert. Such example is Muynak in Uzbekistan with its armada of rusting hulks turned into major tourist attraction.

Plans for restoration of the Aral Sea began in 2000, but serious events started in 2003 with support of the World Bank . Building a dam separating north part of the lake and repairing damage caused by previous irrigating works helped to rise water level and decrease salinity. It helped to partly reviving the fishing industry in the region. However the The South Aral Sea, which lies in poorer Uzbekistan has no plans for improvement. Their government shows almost no interest in returning original river flow, which stills irrigates their cotton fields.

Questions. :

Have you ever heard about Aral Sea?
Have you ever hard about similar ecological catastrophe ?
What do you think about huge investments in rearranging ecosystems ?