Aral Sea

There are few big lakes in the Republic. The largest one is the Aral Sea. It has a rather large area and therefore it is usually called a "sea" rather than a lake. Among the other comparatively large lakes that can be mentioned are the Sudochye and Arnasay. Some small lakes are famous for their ability to heal, for instance, lakes Aksikent, Tuzkan, Denghizkul, etc.

Over the last 30 years, the level of the Aral Sea has dropped by approximately 15-16 meters and the shoreline has moved away by dozens of kilometers. The quantity of water, brought to the Aral Sea by the Amudarya and Syrdarya, is diminishing every year. Currently, it is eight and three cubic kilometers, respectively, whilst 30 years ago the Amudarya alone brought 50 cu km. The water table of the Aral Sea has been reduced almost 5 times since then.

The streams of warm and humid air, originating above the Aral Sea, used to make a natural barrier for the air coming in from Russia and Kazakhstan. This barrier has been destroyed and the cold air now rushes towards Central Asia. It can suddenly bring hail and showers, sometimes even at the height of summer, causing much damage, reducing the growing period of heat-loving crops and bringing about a great deal of complications. The worsening ecological situation in the Aral Sea zone adversely affects the health of residents and the level of reproduction.

The ecological situation in the Aral Sea zone has caused irreversible damage to wildlife. The plants and animals indigenous to this region have become rare and some of them extinct. For instance, 16 out of 20 varieties of marketable fish no longer exist. The disastrous situation with the Aral Sea is sometimes compared with the Chernobyl ecological disaster. Expert opinion suggests that efforts should be aimed not at the restoration of the previous level of the Aral Sea, but at the stabilization of its present level. Every year, for this purpose, it is necessary to provide the Aral Sea with 30 - 40 cubic kilometers of water, or it will disappear by the year 2015, and will be replaced by several extremely salt lakes and a lifeless desert. The Aral Sea problem has not only local, but international significance. No state is able to tackle it alone. European countries and UNESCO are expected to redouble their efforts. All this explains why the Aral Sea problems are the focus of the attention of the Central Asian stales, and Uzbekistan in particular.

On January 11, 1994, the city of Nukus was the host to a Conference of the heads of Central Asian states. A Russian government delegation also took part in the work of the conference. The tradition of the conferences was founded in January 1993, in the city of Tashkent, and was followed by the Conference in Kzil-Orda (Kazakhstan), in March 1993. The 1994 conference reviewed an extensive set of issues directly related to the current situation in the Aral Sea zone and to the formation of an International Foundation entitled "Save the Aral Sea". Because of all-round discussions, priority tasks were defined to improve the ecological situation in the Aral Sea Basin during the next 3-5 years.

The next forum took place in Turkmenistan, in the town of Tashauz. The International Conference of Sustainable Development of the Aral Sea Basin held in the city of Nukus (Karakalpakstan), September 1995 played a great role in helping find solutions to the acute problems of the Aral Sea. It was organized with the active assistance of the United Nations. It was attended by representatives from more than 20 countries, as well as the Presidents of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic and Tajikistan as well as a government delegation from Turkmenistan. The Conference passed the Nukus Declaration of the states of Central Asia and international organizations, discussed aspects of sustainable development relating to the Aral Sea Basin. The Declaration means a great step forward in finding a rational solution to the problems of the Aral Sea and its zone. Many concerns about the future of the Aral Sea were expressed in the speech given by the head of the Republic at a Jubilee session of the General Assembly (October 1995) in New York on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the United Nations. Again, the President drew the attention of the international community to the problem of the Aral Sea. To regulate the flow of water during different seasons and to irrigate land, the Republic has made many artificial water reservoirs over the last decades, such as Charvak, Akhangaran, Tuyabuguz, South Surkhan, Chimkurgan, etc.

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