The Aral Sea, located in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, was once the world’s 4th largest lake. Between 1960 and 2004, the sea’s surface area shrank almost 70 percent and the sea level dropped about 20 meters, as water was diverted for irrigation from the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers. In 1990, as the waters receded, the Aral Sea split into a small Northern Aral Sea (NAS) on the territory of Kazakhstan and a Large Southern Aral Sea (LAS) on the territory of both Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
The desiccation of the sea resulted in serious economic, social, and environmental damage. Fresh fish production virtually disappeared. The salinity and pollution levels rose dramatically, dust and salt storms occurred often, and local climatic changes were taking place around the Sea. Drinking water supplies became polluted and human health problems increased sharply. Tens of thousands of jobs were lost in the fishing, agriculture, and service sectors.
The World Bank loan for the Syr Darya Control and Northern Aral Sea Project of US$64.5 million was approved in June 2001. Total project cost, including counterpart funds provided by the Government of Kazakhstan, is approximately US$86 million.
The Project aims to secure the existence of the Northern Aral Sea and improving ecological conditions in its area; and sustain and increase agriculture and fish production in the Syr Darya basin in Kazakhstan.
Construction of the 13-km Kok-Aral Dike, which separated the NAS from the LAS and allowed the NAS to recover, was completed in August 2005. In addition, several new hydraulic structures were constructed on the Syr Darya, while other hydraulic structures and the Chardara Dam were rehabilitated to increase the flow capacity of the Syr Darya and safely bring much more water than before to the Aral Sea.
Except for one hydraulic structure, all works have been completed. It is expected that the structure will be completed by October 2008, and that the project will close at the end of 2008. A follow-on project is currently under preparation, which will aim at further improvements along the Syr Darya and in the NAS.