[ODA On Site] ① The Dried-Up Aral Sea... Yet Life Goes On

A Super-Large Lake the Size of 112 Seouls Turns Into Desert in 60 Years... The Tragedy of the Aral Sea
Life Continues Even on Parched Land...
Korea's ODA Project Supports 'Sustainable' Agricultural Technology

A vast sandy desert under the scorching sun, so intense it is difficult to even open your eyes. More than a dozen ships, rusted and scorched red after years beneath the blazing sun, are scattered unexpectedly across the landscape. The ground is completely parched. When you sift through the sand, you find numerous tiny seashells, no larger than a fingernail, mixed in. Dried and hardened salt crystals are also visible in various places. These are traces that prove this area was once a vast lake, as wide as a sea.

A view of the Aral Sea in Moynaq, Karakalpakstan Autonomous Republic, Uzbekistan. As desertification progresses, it is called the "Graveyard of Ships." Photo by Ministry of Foreign Affairs Joint Coverage Team

'A Super-Large Lake the Size of 112 Seouls Turns Into Desert in 60 Years... The Tragedy of the Aral Sea'

On August 12 (local time), I visited the Aral Sea located in Moynaq, Karakalpakstan Autonomous Republic, in western Uzbekistan, bordering Kazakhstan. The Aral Sea was once the world’s fourth-largest inland lake, spanning about 68,000 square kilometers-112 times the area of Seoul. However, since the 1960s, due to climate change and reckless water resource development, the water level has plummeted, and now only about 10% of it remains. Desertification has progressed to the point that the term "sea" is no longer appropriate, making it a symbolic site of climate crisis damage. Salt from the dried-up Aral Sea is carried by sandstorms to nearby regions, causing harm throughout Central Asia.

(Left) Muinak local resident Shadinov Ali Orazbayevich is explaining about the Aral Sea to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs joint press corps. (Right) A past view of the Aral Sea, estimated to have been taken by a Russian in the 1950s. Several sturgeons are being caught. Provided by Orazbayevich. [Ministry of Foreign Affairs Joint Press Corps]

Shadinov Ali Orazbayevich (male, 74), a lifelong resident born in Moynaq, told reporters, "When I was a child, most local residents worked in the fishing industry," adding, "Moynaq was an island surrounded by water, and the air was so clean you could smell the sea even at home." He recalled, "We used to stack sturgeons in barrels, and we could even eat caviar."

In fact, Moynaq was once a thriving hub for the fishing industry in landlocked Uzbekistan. According to Orazbayevich, the area was so prosperous that caviar, a luxury ingredient, was distributed here, and the abundance of fish supported the operation of three canning factories. However, as the Aral Sea dried up, salinity increased, and nearly all fish species except for some microorganisms disappeared. Rapid desertification led to more severe droughts and heat waves, turning the land into a barren area where even farming became difficult, let alone fishing. After 1976, all the canning factories closed, resulting in large-scale migration. Both the water and the people vanished.

Initially, about 1,100 ships were left stranded as the water level dropped, but as local residents struggled to make a living, they dismantled and sold off the steel structures of the ships. The dozen or so ships that remain today are preserved by the Uzbek government. Orazbayevich also lost his livelihood and retired early; he now lives on a pension. However, he cannot receive his full pension because he once sold the papers documenting his years of employment to a recycling company. These stories illustrate just how harsh life has become for residents who lost their homes to climate change.

Satellite images of the Aral Sea taken in 1989 (left) and 2014. KOICA

Life Continues Even on Parched Land... Korea's ODA Project Supports 'Sustainable' Agricultural Technology

The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) has partnered with the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) since July 2021 to implement an aid project worth a total of $5.9 million (about 8.2 billion won) to support local residents who lost their livelihoods due to the desertification of the Aral Sea. The project develops and disseminates eco-friendly farming methods that maximize water efficiency and provides capacity-building programs for local farmers. In particular, the "drip irrigation" system, which creates holes at regular intervals in irrigation ponds to deliver water directly to desired locations, has been a great help to the Aral Sea region, which suffers from severe water shortages. In Nukus, about a three-hour drive from the Aral Sea, the "Mono Center," an agency under the Ministry of Employment and Poverty Reduction of the Karakalpakstan Republic, utilizes climate-smart agricultural training materials developed by GGGI.

Kundiz Kidirniyazova, who is engaged in agriculture with KOICA support at the Uzbekistan Mono Center, is being interviewed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs press corps. [Photo by Ministry of Foreign Affairs joint press group]

Kundiz Kidirniyazova (female, 37), who learned agricultural technologies such as greenhouse management and drip irrigation at the Mono Center, said, "I used to just water and grow vegetables, but I learned about irrigation systems at the Mono Center. I started with a small plastic greenhouse, but now I have one hectare (about 3,025 pyeong), and my income has increased." Previously only interested in agriculture while doing housework, she now runs a company with about 80 employees and exports produce such as tomatoes and cucumbers to Russia.

The Official Development Assistance (ODA) project funded by KOICA lasted for four years and concluded in June this year. Since ODA support is inevitably temporary, GGGI supported the issuance of commercial bonds totaling 1.4 trillion won by local banks in Uzbekistan to ensure the sustainability of the Aral Sea’s eco-friendly reconstruction efforts. Lee Seungyeon, head of the GGGI Uzbekistan office, said, "The issuance of green bonds is the most important and innovative achievement," adding, "These funds will be invested long-term in green sectors, including eco-friendly agriculture, in Uzbekistan."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.