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Water - a key security asset 5. Wetlands restoration in the Aral Sea Contents   1. Water - a key security asset   2. Security through Science  3. Committee on the Challenges of Modern Society  4. Countering the environmental degradation of the Black Sea  5. Wetlands restoration in the Aral Sea  6. Artemia production in the salt water of the Aral Sea  7. Real-time monitoring of the Nistru and Prut rivers  8. Pilot studies on water management  9. The South Caucasus Cooperative River Monitoring Project Editorial Note   Important publisher and editorial information about this document Other Formats English PDF (~640Kb) Printable version with colour illustrations Order a hardcopy version using the online order form. About four decades ago, the Aral Sea was the fourth largest lake on earth, a main fresh water source for the populations of five countries: Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Today, the lake has become a hyper saline pond. The reason for this ecological disaster is the intensive cotton and rice production introduced during the Soviet era in the delta of the two main rivers - Amu Dar'ya and Syr Dar'ya. Instead of feeding the Aral Sea, the fresh water brought by these rivers was diverted during four decades to irrigate and wash the fields of these water-intensive crops. This caused salinisation, the disappearance of native fish species, the loss of a major fishery, and as the sea dried out, dust and salt storms. The climate changed and productive farmland was lost, while toxic materials were being deposited and the health conditions of communities deteriorated as the quality of drinking water became poorer. The local economy also changed, causing unemployment. The experts agree that there is no way of rehabilitating the Aral Sea and its wetlands. However, certain parts could be saved and further damage limited if a sustainable water management system were put into place, together with more efficient irrigation systems. Under the Security through Science Programme, the Integrated Water Resources Management for Wetlands Restoration project was launched, bringing Dutch and Uzbek experts together to work on the creation of a database and predictive model for the Amu Dar'ya delta. The project has been completed and the results handed over to Uzbek local authorities for their use as forecast models and decision-making tools. The expertise gained has also been transferred to Kazakhstan where a new project has started for the Syr Dar'ya river delta in the north. In the case of both projects, the purchase of computers and software, the field trips and training of young scientists are supported by NATO. NATO has also helped to equip the Karakalpakstan University in Nukus, in the Amu Dar'ya delta, with a Geographical Information System (GIS). With satellite images and the Global Positioning System, GIS maps have been developed, providing data that is key to water management. Did you know? Since 1960, the Aral Sea has lost 75 per cent of its water volume. According to predictions, it will disappear within 15 years. Its salinity increased from 10 g/l in 1960 to 100 g/l in 2004, which is five times more than the salt concentration of the North Sea.

© NATO - OTAN 2005 -	NATO Public Diplomacy Division 1110 Brussels, Belgium, web site: www.nato.int e-mail: natodoc@hq.nato. int