Central Asia adapts to Aral Sea disaster

The Aral Sea, once one of the largest inland seas in the world, can no longer be restored. The Central Asian states are therefore increasingly concentrating on limiting the consequences of the environmental disaster and improving the living conditions of the millions of people affected. A high-ranking regional representative said. "Unfortunately, the Aral Sea can no longer be saved," said Askhat Orazbay, Chairman of the Executive Committee of the International Fund to Save the Aral Sea (IFAS), on the sidelines of the Regional Ecology Summit 2026 in Astana in April. "When it was founded, there were efforts to restore and save it. We are now continuing our work, but the reality has changed." Instead of full recovery, the focus is now on adaptation and mitigation. Among other things, the governments in the region are working on new initiatives, including a roadmap for the years 2026 to 2029 developed jointly with the World Health Organization. The aim is to improve the health and living conditions of people throughout the Aral Sea basin. IFAS to ensure regional cooperation The transformation also shows how the role of IFAS has changed. The fund was founded in 1992 after the collapse of the Soviet Union. At that time, the newly independent Central Asian states were faced with the task of managing shared water resources without centralized control. "The presidents of five Central Asian countries decided to establish this international body to address the most pressing issues - environmental issues and water management issues," said Orazbay. During the Soviet era, the distribution of water from the region's main rivers, including the Amudarya and Syrdarya, was centrally controlled from Moscow. "All these issues were decided by the central government in Moscow, especially water distribution," he said. "Each Central Asian country was allocated certain amounts of water - without discussion, these guidelines had to be implemented." After independence, this system collapsed. "There was chaos because each of these countries became independent," said Orazbay. The situation was complicated by the geographical differences between the countries. Countries on the upper reaches of rivers have different options than countries on the lower reaches. As a result, water quickly became a sensitive regional issue. "Water is the most sensitive and important issue in Central Asia," said Orazbay. "Today it is even more important than before because of water scarcity, climate change, population growth and economic development." The IFAS was created as a cooperation mechanism. One of its main tasks is to distribute the available water resources in Central Asia as fairly as possible, said Orazbay. Focus on the consequences of the environmental disaster At the same time, the fund was intended to mitigate the long-term consequences of the collapse of the Aral Sea. This process had already begun during the Soviet era, when large quantities of water from the tributaries were diverted for irrigation projects. The consequences were dramatic: the lake shrank, ecosystems were destroyed and the livelihoods of many people were fundamentally changed. "The catastrophe in the Aral Sea region has already taken place. That is why we are now facing further consequences - in the environment, agriculture, healthcare and society," said Orazbay. "For this reason, the heads of state decided to establish the IFAS to mitigate the negative consequences of the Aral Sea disaster." More than three decades later, Orazbay still sees the organization as an important stabilizing factor. "One of the most important achievements is that this organization and the coordination mechanism between the five countries have helped to avoid possible clashes and conflicts over water issues," he said. At the same time, the fund had to adapt to new realities. "The situation was different then than it is now," said Orazbay. "Our task is to adapt to the current situation and the new realities on the ground." However, the structure of the organization has hardly changed since it was founded. "Our building still has the same shape today as it did when it was built 34 years ago," he said. The regional heads of state had therefore ordered reforms. "In order to take account of the new circumstances, the presidents have decided on changes, improvements and reforms. This is exactly what we are now implementing," said Orazbay. The legal basis of the work should also be improved. Even the name of the organization could change. The current name no longer fully reflects the actual work, said Orazbay. Some countries had suggested alternatives such as an "Organization of Cooperation in the Aral Basin". While the entire Aral Sea can no longer be restored, Kazakhstan is continuing to work on stabilizing the northern part, the Little Aral Sea. Targeted measures there could improve water quality and strengthen biodiversity. "This will also have an impact on the chemical composition - less salt, more water," said Orazbay. "This means that biodiversity will also improve and there may be more fish." For the Aral Sea as a whole, however, the outlook remains sobering. "Overall, unfortunately, it's not positive," he said. In future, the IFAS intends to concentrate primarily on two areas: Water management and environmental protection. In addition, a third focus in connection with hydropower is being examined. In view of climate change and the growing pressure on scarce water resources, regional cooperation remains essential, said Orazbay. "We needed a mechanism to distribute this water fairly. This is just as important today as it was 30 years ago." The post Central Asia adapts to Aral Sea disaster appeared first on ostwirtschaft.de.