
Until the 1970s the Aral Sea was the fourth largest lake in the world. Now only ten percent remains. Efforts to save the Northern Aral Sea in Kazakhstan have prevented the larger Southern Aral Sea from receiving any water supply, and it is still shrinking.
The irreversible consequences of this evaporation have affected all aspects of life in the entire region. They include extreme climate change due to the desertification of the land and a wide range of emerging health issues, all affecting a society in which people have difficulties enough adjusting to and surviving the post Soviet Union structure.
