There is a body of water in the world that was once known as the fourth largest lake in the world, called the Aral Sea. However, despite its glorious history, it is now in a situation where it exists in name only. The history of the Aral Sea can be traced back to the ancient times of our country, known as the "Lei Zhu Sea", and has left a lot of records in the literature of the past dynasties. However, as the pace of modernity approached, the Aral Sea dried up in just a few decades. This shocking phenomenon is closely related to the behavior of a superpower.
The Aral Sea is often confused with the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea is known for its extremely high salt content, which allows people to float on the surface of the water without sinking, hence the name. However, there are many differences between the Aral Sea and the Dead Sea. The history of the Aral Sea dates back to an earlier period and is recorded in our country's "Notes on the Book of Water". The Aral Sea was once known as the "Great Salt Pond" due to its high salinity of its seawaters, and it is rich in mineral resources, making it an important source of resources.
In modern times, however, the Aral Sea has undergone tremendous changes. This change stems from human over-exploitation and blind construction activities. During the Soviet era, the Aral Sea became an important source of fishery, and in order to meet the demand for fishery resources, a large number of fishermen engaged in fishing activities in the Aral Sea. Nearly one-sixth of the Soviet Union's annual fishing resources come from the Aral Sea, making it one of the largest producers of inland fish by the local population. However, as fishing activities continue to expand, fish stocks in the Aral Sea are beginning to decline, which is worrying. Although in 1960 the Aral Sea was able to sustain an annual fish production of about 40,000 tons, a snowstorm changed everything.
The Soviet Union, as a country at an extremely high latitude, had to purchase a large amount of cotton from the world in order to withstand the severe cold. However, in 1973, the Soviet Union's communication with many countries was blocked, forcing it to choose to grow cotton in desert areas, which became known as the "Great Adaptation of Nature" program. They set their sights on the Manstein Desert, where not only cotton is grown, but also a variety of fruits and vegetables. However, people do not realize that there is a limit to the carrying capacity of nature. Although the transformation of the desert has brought green vitality to the local area, it has also brought huge ecological costs. The Manstein Desert is fed by irrigation sources from the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers and is closely connected to the Aral Sea. With the increase in the use of water for agriculture, the volume of the Aral Sea has gradually decreased, and its area has shrunk dramatically.
Faced with the gradual drying up of the Aral Sea, the Soviet Union considered remedial measures, such as the diversion of water from Western Siberia, but failed to implement them due to the difficulty of construction. As a result, they turned to the plantation industry, hoping to solve the problem by reducing spending. However, this initiative was rejected by the locals. Vegetables and cotton played a much more important role in the Soviet economy than fishery resources. Driven by economic interests, the Aral Sea has continued to shrink in size and is now reduced by 60 percent and its water content by 80 percent, making it a candidate for the desert jewel Lop Nur.
The tragedy in the Aral Sea is a cautionary tale of the blind exploitation and overexploitation of natural resources. Its demise is not only a geographical phenomenon, but also a painful lesson in humanity's disregard for ecological balance. We should learn from this experience, cherish natural resources, and pursue the path of sustainable development. Otherwise, the fate of the Aral Sea will become a microcosm of countless ecosystems on the planet, which will ultimately pay a heavy price.
References: