Work has begun on the dried bed of the Aral Sea to drill artesian wells for the purpose of discovering and extracting groundwater. These works started in May in the western part of the former seabed.
Currently, specialists have completed the drilling of three wells, with depths ranging from 500 to 700 meters. These activities are being carried out by the Aral Field Hydrogeological Expedition, which is part of the state enterprise "Uzbekhydrogeology," as part of the implementation of the state program for the development and replenishment of the mineral resource base. Two drilling rigs are being used to perform the work.
Of the three completed wells, two reached a depth of 500 meters, and the third reached 700 meters. Currently, the drilling of a fourth well is underway, with a planned depth of 500 meters and a current depth of 250 meters.
Groundwater discharge has already been recorded in the drilled wells. The debit is 8–10 liters per second, and each well is capable of supplying up to 700–800 tons of water daily. This water is directed into the existing body of water of the Aral Sea, which is expected to help reduce the degree of water mineralization in adjacent areas and improve the overall ecological situation.
Although groundwater cannot restore the Aral Sea to its original size, this project is considered an additional method to support the ecosystem of the Aral region and preserve life on the dried seabed of the sea. Efforts are also being made to restore vegetation cover on the former seabed, where species resistant to desert climates, including saxaul, Cherkes, and kandyn, are being planted across millions of hectares, thereby forming a green belt to stabilize the ecology.
The next stage of work is planned—the reconstruction of the Kokaral Dam, which will increase the volume of water in the North Aral Sea to 34 billion cubic meters. It should be noted that it was previously reported that the Kazakh part of the Aral Sea is gradually filling up; the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation of Kazakhstan has reported a significant increase in the total volume of water in the North Aral due to large inflows through the Syr Darya riverbed over the past ten months.