Editing Aral Sea (section)

==Solutions==
===Proposed environmental solutions===
Many different solutions to the problems have been suggested over the years, varying in feasibility and cost, including:
*Improving the quality of [[irrigation]] canals{{citation needed|date=May 2024}}
*Using alternative [[cotton]] species that require less water<ref>{{cite journal|title= Aral Sea and sustainable development|date=25 March 2013 |pmid=12793660 |volume=47 |issue=7–8 |journal=Water Sci Technol |pages=41–7 |last1 = Usmanova |first1 = RM|doi=10.2166/wst.2003.0669 }}</ref>
*Promoting non-agricultural economic development in upstream countries<ref>{{cite journal|author=Olli Varis |title=Resources: Curb vast water use in central Asia. [Nature Vol 514(7520)]|journal=Nature News |volume=514 |issue=7520 |pages=27–9 |doi=10.1038/514027a |pmid=25279902 |date=2 October 2014 |doi-access=free }}</ref>
*Using fewer chemicals on the cotton{{citation needed|date=May 2024}}
*Cultivating crops other than cotton{{citation needed|date=May 2024}}
*[[Northern river reversal|Redirecting water]] from the [[Volga]], [[Ob River|Ob]] and [[Irtysh]] rivers to restore the Aral Sea to its former size in 20–30 years at a cost of US$30–50 billion<ref name=ecoworld>{{cite web|author=Ed Ring|title=Release the Rivers: Let the Volga & Ob Refill the Aral Sea|url=http://www.ecoworld.com/Home/Articles2.cfm?TID=354|publisher=Ecoworld|date=27 September 2004|access-date=17 May 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080429235809/http://www.ecoworld.com/home/articles2.cfm?TID=354|archive-date=29 April 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref>
*Pumping sea water into the Aral Sea from the [[Caspian Sea]] via a pipeline, and diluting it with fresh water from local catchment areas<ref name="The Internet Encyclopedia of Science">{{cite web|title=Aral Sea Refill: Seawater Importation Macroproject|url=http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/A/Aral_Sea_refill.html|publisher=The Internet Encyclopedia of Science|date=29 June 2008|access-date=8 October 2009|archive-date=3 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180403142119/http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/A/Aral_Sea_refill.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[File:Cotton handle peeling (Buka district, Tashkent region, Uzbekistan)-03.jpg|thumb|[[Cotton production in Uzbekistan|Cotton picking]] in Uzbekistan. [[Cotton]] is one of the most water-intensive plants.<ref name="guardian"/>]]
In January 1994, [[Kazakhstan]], [[Uzbekistan]], [[Turkmenistan]], [[Tajikistan]], and [[Kyrgyzstan]] signed a deal to pledge 1% of their budgets to help the sea recover.

In March 2000, UNESCO presented their "Water-related vision for the Aral Sea basin for the year 2025".<ref>{{cite web
 |url = http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0012/001262/126259mo.pdf
 |title = Water-related vision for the Aral Sea basin for the year 2025
 |publisher = UNESCO
 |language = en-us, ru
 |date = March 2000 |access-date = 1 April 2010
}}</ref>

By 2006, the [[World Bank]]'s restoration projects, especially in the North Aral, were giving rise to some unexpected, tentative relief in what had been an extremely pessimistic picture.<ref name="A Witch's Brew">{{cite news|title=A Witch's Brew |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/documentary_archive/5218248.stm |work=[[BBC News]] |date=July 2006 |access-date=17 May 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071213020010/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/documentary_archive/5218248.stm |archive-date=13 December 2007 }}</ref>

===Restoration strategies===
{{anchor|ASBP}}

====Technology====
Funded in part by the [[United Nations Development Programme]], implementations in Kazakhstan such as laser levelling and irrigation optimization using energy-efficient technologies has shown effectiveness.<ref name="undpwork">{{cite web |title=Can the Aral Sea make a comeback? |url=https://undpeurasia.exposure.co/can-the-aral-sea-make-a-comeback#! |website=UNDP Eurasia |publisher=United Nations}}</ref>

===Aral Sea Basin Programme - 1===
The future of the Aral Sea and the responsibility for its survival are now in the hands of the five countries: [[Kazakhstan]], [[Uzbekistan]], [[Tajikistan]], [[Kyrgyzstan]], and [[Turkmenistan]]. In 1994, they adopted the Aral Sea Basin Programme<ref name="Shawki Barghouti 2006">{{cite report|title=Case Study of the Aral Sea Water and Environmental Management Project: an independent evaluation of the World Bank's support of regional programmes|website=[[The World Bank]]|author= Shawki Barghouti|url=http://water.worldbank.org/water/publications/case-study-aral-sea-water-and-environmental-management-project-independent-evaluation-w|date=2006 |access-date= 1 November 2010}}</ref> or '''ASBP'''. The Programme's four objectives are:
*To stabilize the environment of the Aral Sea Basin
*To rehabilitate the disaster area around the sea
*To improve the management of the international waters of the Aral Sea Basin
*To build the capacity of institutions at the regional and national level to advance the programme's aims

====ASBP: Phase One====
The first phase of the plan effectively began with the first involvement from the World Bank in 1992, and was in operation until 1997. It was ineffectual for a number of reasons, but mainly because it was focused on improving directly the land around the Aral Sea, whilst not intervening in the water usage upstream. There was considerable concern amongst the Central Asian governments, which realised the importance of the Aral Sea in the ecosystem and the economy of Central Asia, and they were prepared to cooperate, but they found it difficult to implement the procedures of the plan.{{citation needed|date=May 2015}}

This is due in part to a lack of co-operation among the affected people. The water flowing into the Aral Sea has long been considered an important commodity, and trade agreements have been made to supply the downstream communities with water in the spring and summer months for irrigation. In return, they supply the upstream countries with fuel during the winter, instead of storing water during the warm months for hydroelectric purposes in winter. However, very few legal obligations are binding these contracts, particularly on an international stage.{{citation needed|date=May 2015}}

====ASBP: Phase Two====
Phase Two of the Aral Sea Basin programme followed in 1998 and ran for five years. The main shortcomings of phase two were due to its lack of integration with the local communities involved. The scheme was drawn up by the World Bank, government representatives, and various technical experts, without consulting those who would be affected. An example of this was the public awareness initiatives, which were seen as propagandist attempts by people with little care or understanding of their situation.  These failures have led to the introduction of a new plan, funded by a number of institutions, including the five countries involved and the World Bank.

====ASBP: Phase Three====
In 1997, a new plan was conceived which would continue with the previous restoration efforts of the Aral Sea. The main aims of this phase are to improve the irrigation systems currently in place, whilst targeting water management at a local level. The largest project in this phase is the North Aral Sea Project, a direct effort to recover the northern region of the Aral Sea. The North Aral Sea Project's main initiative is the construction of a dam across the Berg Strait, a deep channel which connects the North Aral Sea to the South Aral Sea. The Kok-Aral Dam is {{convert|8|mi|km|0|order=flip|abbr=off}} long and has capacity for over 29 cubic kilometres of water to be stored in the North Aral Sea, whilst allowing excess to overflow into the South Aral Sea.

===Aral Sea Basin Programme – 2===
On 6 October 2002, the Heads of States met again to revise the ASBP program.  ASBP-2 was in place from 2003 to 2010. The main purpose of the ASBP-2 was to set up projects that covered a vast amount of environmental, socioeconomic and water management issues. The ASBP-2 was financed by organization such as the UNDP, World Bank, USAID, Asian Development Bank, and the governments of Switzerland, Japan, Finland, Norway and others.  Over 2 billion US Dollars was provided by the IFAS country members to the program.<ref name="auto4">{{cite report |title=Program of actions on providing assistance to the countries of the Aral Sea Basin for the period of 2011-2015 (ASBP-3) |url=http://www.cawater-info.net/library/eng/asbp3_e.pdf |publisher=International Fund for saving the Aral Sea |date=2012}}</ref>

===Aral Sea Basin Programme – 3===
On 28 April 2009, the Head of States came together with the Interstate commission for Water Coordination, Interstate Commission for Sustainable Development and National Experts and donors to develop the ASBP-3.  This Program was in effect from 2011- 2015.  The main purpose of the ASBP-3 was to improve the environmental and socio-economic situation of the Aral Sea Basin. The four program priorities were:<ref name="auto4"/>
*Direction one: Integrated Use of Water Resources 
*Direction two: Environmental protection 
*Direction three: Socio-economic Development 
*Direction four: Improving the institutional and legal instruments

====ASBP-3: Direction One====
Direction One's main purpose is to propose program that focus on addressing transboundary water resources management, establishment of monitoring systems and addressing safety concerns in water facilities. Examples of programs that have been proposed include:<ref name="auto4"/>
*"Developing proposals to optimize the management and use of water resources in Central Asia, taking into account environmental factors, effects of climate change to meet the national interests of the Aral Sea basin."
*"Improving the quality of hydrometeorological services for weather-dependent sectors of the economy of Central Asia."
*"Creating a database and computer models for the management of transboundary water resources."
*"Assisting the countries in reducing the risk of natural disasters, including through the strengthening of regional cooperation, improve disaster preparedness and response."

====ASBP-3: Direction Two====
Directions two's main focus is on addressing the issues related to environmental protection and improvement of the environment. Areas of interest include:<ref name="auto4"/>
*"The environment in the deltas of the Syr Darya and Amu Darya improved."
*"Mountain environments improved."
*"The environment and productivity of pastures improved."
*"A regional information system on the environment established."

====ASBP-3: Direction Three====
Direction three looks to address socio-economic issues by focusing on education and public health, improving unemployment rates, improving water systems, increasing sustainable development and improving living conditions.  The expected outputs are:<ref name="auto4"/>
*"An improved access to safe drinking water."
*"For the rural population: establishment and/or development of private small enterprises, creation of new jobs, and increased labor efficiency."
*"An improvement in the quality of medical services"
*"An improvement in the effectiveness and quality of education in schools and pre-school facilities in rural areas."

====ASBP-3: Direction Four====
Direction Four aims to address issues related to institutional development and the development of policies and strategies that relate to sustainable development and public awareness.  Expected outputs include:<ref name="auto4"/>
*"Conditions for a transparent and mutually beneficial regional dialogue and cooperation, including setting up a sectorial dialogue between governments established."
*"A Prototype of the single information and analysis system for the water sector established."
*"A Communication Strategy for stakeholders and the public established." 
*"Training systems for the water sector and the hydrometeorological services in Central Asia improved."

===North Aral Sea restoration work===
[[File:Dike Kokaral 2021-05-08 Sentinel-2 L2A True color.jpg|thumb|[[Dike Kokaral]]]]
[[File:North Aral Sea 2000 and 2011.gif|thumb|Comparison of the North Aral Sea in 2000 and 2011.]]

Work is being done to restore in part the North Aral Sea. Irrigation works on the Syr Darya have been repaired and improved to increase its water flow, and in October 2003, the Kazakh government announced a plan to build [[Dike Kokaral]], a concrete dam separating the two halves of the Aral Sea. Work on this dam was completed in August 2005; since then, the water level of the North Aral has risen, and its salinity has decreased. {{As of|2006}}, some recovery of sea level has been recorded, sooner than expected.<ref name=reclaim /> "The dam has caused the small Aral's sea level to rise swiftly to 38&nbsp;m (125 ft), from a low of less than 30&nbsp;m (98 ft), with 42&nbsp;m (138 ft) considered the level of viability."<ref>{{cite news |last=Greenberg |first=Ilan |title=As a Sea Rises, So Do Hopes for Fish, Jobs and Riches |work=The New York Times |date=6 April 2006 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/06/world/asia/as-a-sea-rises-so-do-hopes-for-fish-jobs-and-riches.html |access-date=11 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210410211417/https://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/06/world/asia/as-a-sea-rises-so-do-hopes-for-fish-jobs-and-riches.html |archive-date=10 April 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Economically significant stocks of fish have returned, and observers who had written off the North Aral Sea as an environmental disaster were surprised by unexpected reports that, in 2006, its returning waters were already partly reviving the fishing industry and producing catches for export as far as Ukraine. The improvements to the fishing industry were largely due to the drop in the average salinity of the sea from 30 grams to 8 grams per liter; this drop in salinity prompted the return of almost 24 freshwater species.<ref name="Chen"/> The restoration also reportedly gave rise to long-absent rain clouds and possible microclimate changes, bringing tentative hope to an agricultural sector swallowed by a regional [[dust storm|dustbowl]], and some expansion of the shrunken sea.<ref>{{cite web|title=Miraculous Catch in Kazakhstan's Northern Aral Sea|url= http://www.worldbank.org/projects/P046045/syr-darya-control-northern-aral-sea-phase-project?lang=en|publisher=The World Bank|date=June 2006|access-date=17 May 2008}}</ref>

The sea, which had receded almost {{convert|100|km|mi|abbr=on}} south of the port-city of [[Aralsk]], is now a mere {{convert|25|km|mi|abbr=on}} away. The Kazakh Foreign Ministry stated that "The North Aral Sea's surface increased from {{convert|2,550|km2|sqmi|sp=us}} in 2003 to {{convert|3,300|km2|sqmi|sp=us}} in 2008. The sea's depth increased from 30 meters (98 ft) in 2003 to 42 meters (138 ft) in 2008."<ref name="ENS wire"/> Now, a second dam is to be built based on a World Bank loan to Kazakhstan, with the start of construction initially slated for 2009 and postponed to 2011, to further expand the shrunken Northern Aral,<ref>{{cite web|title=North Aral Sea Recovery|url= https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/7645/north-aral-sea-recovery |work=[[The Earth Observatory]] |publisher=[[NASA]] |year=2007 |access-date=11 April 2021}}</ref>{{failed verification|date=February 2014}} eventually reducing the distance to Aralsk to only {{convert|6|km|mi|abbr=on}}. Then, it was planned to build a canal spanning the last 6&nbsp;km, to reconnect the withered former port of Aralsk to the sea.<ref name=thetimes>{{cite news |last=Fletcher |first=Martin |author-link=Martin Fletcher |title=The return of the sea |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article1975079.ece |work=[[The Times]] |date=23 June 2007 |location=London |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081006102520/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article1975079.ece |archive-date=6 October 2008 |access-date=25 June 2007 }}</ref>

On 15 June 2021 the Central Communications Service of Kazakhstan announced that they plan to plant [[Saxaul|saxaul trees]] on one million hectares of the drained bottom of the Aral Sea as part of efforts to stop dust storms on the region. Other efforts include expanding the sea's water mirror.<ref>{{Cite web|first1=Aizada|last1= Arystanbek|date=2021-06-17|title=Aral Sea Restoration Efforts to Include Planting Million-Hectare Saxaul Forest|url=https://astanatimes.com/2021/06/aral-sea-restoration-efforts-to-include-planting-million-hectare-saxaul-forest/|access-date=2021-09-28|website=The Astana Times|language=en}}</ref>

===Future of South Aral Sea===

The South Aral Sea, half of which lies in Uzbekistan, was abandoned to its fate. Most of Uzbekistan's part of the Aral Sea is completely shriveled up. Only excess water from the North Aral Sea is periodically allowed to flow into the largely dried-up South Aral Sea through a [[sluice]] in the dike.<ref>{{cite web|title=Saving a Corner of the Aral Sea|url= http://go.worldbank.org/IE3PGWPVJ0|publisher=[[The World Bank]]|date=1 September 2005|access-date=17 May 2008}}</ref>  Discussions had been held on recreating a channel between the somewhat improved North and the desiccated South, along with uncertain wetland restoration plans throughout the region, but political will is lacking.<ref name=reclaim/> Unlike Kazakhstan, which has partially revived its part of the Aral Sea, Uzbekistan shows no signs of abandoning the [[Amu Darya]] river to irrigate their cotton, and is moving toward oil exploration in the drying South Aral seabed.<ref name=thetimes/>

Attempts to mitigate the effects of [[desertification]] include planting vegetation in the newly exposed seabed; however, intermittent flooding of the eastern basin is likely to prove problematic for any development. Redirecting what little flow there is from the Amu Darya to the western basin may salvage fisheries there while relieving the flooding of the eastern basin.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.boku.ac.at/iwhw/onlinepublikationen/nachtnebel/EU_INTAS_0511_Rebasows/Files/Summary_report.pdf|title=The rehabilitation of the ecosystem and bioproductivity of the Aral Sea under conditions of water scarcity|date=August 2007|access-date=9 November 2010|archive-date=13 February 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120213010127/http://www.boku.ac.at/iwhw/onlinepublikationen/nachtnebel/EU_INTAS_0511_Rebasows/Files/Summary_report.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> The reforestation is focused on plants adapted to desert conditions such as ''[[Haloxylon ammodendron]]'', ''[[Ephedra strobilacea]]'', ''[[Salsola]]'' species, and ''[[Tamarix]]'' species. The eventual aim is to plant up to {{convert|200000|ha}} of forest in the Uzbekistan portion. The forest is intended to slow desertification and reduce the impact of sandstorms on nearby communities.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.mongabay.com/2024/05/uzbekistan-plants-a-forest-where-a-sea-once-lay/ |title=Uzbekistan plants a forest where a sea once lay |author=Sonam Lama Hyolmo |work=Mongabay |date=29 May 2024 |access-date=7 June 2024}}</ref>