What Can Be Done?

To save the Aral Sea, the most direct method is to give its water source back to the dying lake. The Syr Darya River and Amu Darya River are still heavily exploited for cotton cultivation. Due to outdated and poorly built irrigation canal system, more than 50 percent of water withdrawals are wasted in the transportation process (5). One simple solution is to renovate the canals and introduce new technologies. Improved river management in Syr Darya River Basin has worked efficiently, doubling the river’s flow to 28,252 cubic feet per second (2, 5). If same changing is applied to extensive cotton fields along Amu Darya River, it is even possible that the river can reconnect to the South Aral Sea.

Another problem is the intensive monoculture of cotton. To be worse, cotton is an extremely thirsty crop. It can take more than 20,000 liters of water to produce 1kg of cotton, the equivalent to a single T-shirt and pair of jeans (7). It is practicable to try alternative cotton species which require less water (2). Replacing cotton with vegetables, fruits, or soybeans will also reduce water usage in irrigation (8). Planting aquatic vegetation is also a good choice, which can improve water quality markedly.

In conclusion, the Aral Sea crisis is closely linked to cotton cultivation. Any improvement in agriculture will make huge progress. Many attempts to save the Aral Sea have proved to be great successes, and hopefully the lake will stop shrinking with our efforts.

Cotton irrigation field (Source: http://www.fao.org/docrep/009/a0409e/A0409E06.htm)