Aral Sea: Aftermath

The Aral Sea Disaster serves as a reminder to what happens when nature is challenged. Ambitious projects meant to control nature often end up backfiring and causing more problems than they intend to fix. The lesson to take from this debacle is that any plan regarding the environment must be carefully thought out before acting upon it. The consequences of a poorly concocted plan will be paid, if not by the current generation then by the ones following it.

Paintings: Before Disaster

Kazakhs and Uzbeks: People of the Aral Sea

Aral Sea Reference Map

Ship Graveyard

One of the most remarkable aspects of the Aral Sea Disaster is what is known as the "Ship Graveyard". If you were to drive a vehicle around the dried up sea floor you would periodically come across rusty ships and sea vessels just lying right there in the sand. Like something out of a post apocalyptic film it is a curious and haunting site to behold, a large derelict of a ship rotting in the desert, hundreds of miles away from water.

Aral Sea: Then and Now

Aral Sea and Surrounding Countries