Aral Sea Shrinkage (1960s-1990s)
Once the world’s fourth-largest lake, the Aral Sea became a desert when Soviet irrigation projects diverted its water supply. Fishing communities found themselves stranded miles from shorelines. Salt-laden dust from the exposed seabed poisoned surrounding areas with pesticide residue. The ecological collapse affects millions in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan today. Rusted ships on dry land stand as monuments to this environmental miscalculation.
