The surface area of the North Aral Sea has grown by 870 square kilometers following the completion of the Kokaral Dam construction, while the water salinity has decreased by almost half. In this regard, Kazakhstan intends to begin the next stage of work to restore this body of water and update irrigation systems.
Kazakhstan's Deputy Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, Arsen Zhakambayev, presented the results of the first phase of the project at the UN climate conference. He confirmed that the construction of the Kokaral Dam led to an increase in the area of the North Aral Sea by 870 square kilometers and a significant reduction in water salinity.
The project, named 'North Aral Sea and Modernization of Irrigation Systems,' provides for the renewal of existing irrigation infrastructure in the initial stage. However, public information lacks details on the specific objects and scale of the planned work.
In parallel, the dried bed of the Aral Sea continues to be a source of dust pollution in Uzbekistan. According to data from the Ecology Committee, this area belongs to the vast arid regions of Central Asia, from which mineral dust is carried by the wind.
