Three-day Aral Sea salt storm hits Uzbek and Turkmen agriculture

Three-day Aral Sea salt storm hits Uzbek and Turkmen agriculture
The Aral Sea in 1989 (left) compared to 2014 / NASA. Collage by Producercunningham.
By bne IntelliNews May 30, 2018

A severe salt storm hit large swathes of western Uzbekistan and northern Turkmenistan on May 26, damaging agriculture and livestock herds.

The storm lasted for three days, raging over Uzbekistan's Karakalpakstan and Khorezm regions and Turkmenistan's Dashoguz Province. While salt storms are not uncommon in areas bordering the Aral Sea, this latest example of the phenomenon, with speeds of up to 20 metres per second, covered a much wider area in comparison to previous cases. The storms lift out dried-out former parts of the sea.

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."

Since much of the employment in both of the Central Asian nations stems from agriculture, the damage does not bode well for social stability. This is especially relevant in Turkmenistan, where the depleted government budget and economic crisis is already leading to shortages of basic goods at stores.

The Aral Sea, once among the four largest seas on Earth, has been drying up since the former USSR implemented a number of intensive irrigation projects in the 1960s. Remaining parts of the sea were polluted with pesticides and fertilisers.

Salt storms also bring a number of health hazards to the region. Inhalation of the salt can cause severe throat and lung problems, while the sale can also poison farmers' produce and cause chemical damage to buildings.

Central Asia stands as one of the most vulnerable regions to climate change. It is likely to experience more intense warming than the global average in the 21st century—in a scenario where the world grows 4°C warmer, the temperature in the region would grow 7°C.

The region’s glaciers, which account today for 10% of the annual streamflow in the Amu Darya and Syr Darya basins, have already shrunk by one-third in volume since the beginning of the 20th century and are projected to shrink further by 50% to 75% as the world grows warmer.

News

Dismiss