Urgent environmental action is needed for the Aral Sea, according to U.N. Secretary Ban Ki-moon, who was flown over the disaster area by helicopter today. The Aral Sea has been shrinking over recent decades, so that while it was once the fourth largest lake in the world it has now shrunk by over 70%.
In his latest trip to Central Asia, Mr Ban spoke to reporters after his helicopter tour and said the incident was shocking. Clearly taken aback he then said, “It is clearly one of the worst environmental disasters in the world? It really left me with a profound impression, one of sadness that such a mighty sea has disappeared”. He had toured the region with Uzbekistan Prime Minister Shavkat Mirziyoyev
It’s thought that the environmental damage to the Aral Sea has been caused by tributary rivers being diverted for irrigation. The region suffers grave pollution and the salinity of the soil in the area has climbed. A fund to rescue the Aral Sea from its poor state has been founded by the 5 leaders of Central Asia, a move Ban Ki-moon praised, pledging U.N. assistance to help out, at an official dinner in the capital of Tashkent.
Mr Ban stressed that it was a political and moral imperative to pass on Planet Earth to the next generations to enable them to live in a more hospitable and environmental manner. Sometimes it takes something as truly shocking as the state of the Aral Sea to wake people up to what is happening to our planet. We’d be interested in hearing your thoughts on this story.
Source: un.org
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