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BISHKEK (TCA) — UN Secretary-General António Guterres has urged countries to fund a new initiative designed to reduce vulnerability, advance sustainable development and create decent living conditions for millions of people living around the Aral Sea, whose basin encompasses Uzbekistan, and six other countries in Central Asia, the UN News portal reported on November 27. Continue reading
ASHGABAT (TCA) — Presidents of five former Soviet republics in Central Asia met in Turkmenistan on August 24 to discuss the ways to save the Aral Sea, which for decades has been facing severe environmental issues. Turkmenistan President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov hosted Presidents Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan, Sooronbai Jeenbekov of Kyrgyzstan, Emomali Rahmon of Tajikistan, and Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan in the Avaza tourist zone near the city of Turkmenbashi on the Caspian coast. The Kazakh presidential press service cited Nazarbayev as telling the summit that the talks "will give an additional boost to the process of regional cooperation in using water resources." The five countries are founding members of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFSAS) that was established in 1993. During the August 24 summit, the presidents chaired sessions of the Interstate Commission for the IFSAS Development, the Interstate Coordination Commission for Water Resources, and the IFSAS' directorate, RFE/RL reported. In January last year, just weeks after he was inaugurated as Uzbekistan's new president, Shavkat Mirziyoyev announced that his country would spend $2.6 billion over five years to develop the area around the Aral Sea. Once the world's fourth largest landlocked natural water reservoir, the Aral Sea has lost 90 percent of its size since the 1960s — in part because the two major rivers feeding the sea, the Amu Darya and Syr Darya, were diverted for Soviet irrigation projects. The shrinking of the Aral Sea is considered one of the planet's worst environmental disasters, and has led to significant environmental challenges in the region shared by Uzbekistan's autonomous Karakalpakstan region and Kazakhstan.
ASTANA (TCA) — The official opening ceremony and presentation of the pilot project "Demonstration of oasis irrigation in Kyzylorda oblast" was held in Zhalagash district of Kyzylorda region in Kazakhstan on June 7. The initiative is being implemented within the framework of a joint EU/UNDP/UNECE project called "Supporting Kazakhstan’s transition to a green economy model". The project, fully funded by the European Union, provides for the implementation of sustainable green models in four regions of Kazakhstan. Continue reading
ASTANA (TCA) — The 20-day expedition of Kazakhstan’s National Geographic Society QazaqGeography around the North and South Aral Sea finished last week. The trip covered more than 7,000 km across Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan and included nine regions of Kazakhstan, seven regions of Uzbekistan, and the Republic of Karakalpakstan (Uzbekistan), the official website of the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan reported. Continue reading
TASHKENT (TCA) — Large parts of western Uzbekistan and northern Turkmenistan are recovering from a severe salt storm that has damaged agriculture and livestock herds, RFE/RL's Uzbek Service reported. The three-day storm hit Uzbekistan's Karakalpakstan and Khorezm regions, as well as Turkmenistan's Dashoguz Province, beginning on May 26. The salt — lifted from dried-out former parts of the Aral Sea — left a white dust on farmers' fields and fruit trees that is expected to ruin many crops. The storm also caused flights at the Urgench airport to be canceled, made driving hazardous, and caused breathing difficulties for many people. Particularly hard hit by the storm, which reached speeds of more than 20 meters per second, were the Uzbek regions of Khorezm, Navoi, and Bukhara. Remnants of the storm were also reported as far south as Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan. Temirbek Bobo, 80, told RFE/RL's Uzbek Service that it was the first time he had seen such a harsh storm. "I've seen the wind bring sand before, but this was the first time I saw salt. This event can be called a catastrophe," said Bobo, who lives in the Takhiatash district of Karakalpakstan. "The whole day there was nothing but salt rain [coming down]. The sun was not visible." He added: "Nature began to take revenge on us for [what we have done] to the Aral Sea." A representative of the Karakalpakstan's Council of Ministers, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the council had not received any instructions regarding the situation, but suggested that the region's Agricultural Ministry may have. Salt storms are common in areas near the Aral Sea, but this one carried salt over a much wider area. The Aral Sea once was one of the four largest seas on Earth, but intensive irrigation projects set up by the Soviet Union in the 1960s led to its desiccation. The runoff from nearby agricultural fields has polluted the remaining parts of the Aral Sea with pesticides and fertilizers, which have crystallized with the salt. Inhalation of the salt can cause severe throat and lung problems. The salt also can poison farmers' produce and cause chemical damage to buildings.
ASTANA (TCA) — Kazakhstan’s National Geographic Society, QazaqGeography, will organize a research expedition to the North and South Aral Sea area in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan from 10 to 30 May 2018, the official website of the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan reported. Continue reading
