Resurrecting the Aral Sea

Aral Sea (2007): For decades, the Aral Sea has been described as dying and beyond salvation. But now, the water is flowing back, bringing economic revival and hope for the future.
For downloads and more information visit www.journeyman....
Fifty years ago, the Soviets diverted the rivers that fed into the Aral sea to irrigate crops. The sea shrunk to half its size, salinity increased, the natural ecosystem collapsed and people moved away in search of jobs. But now, thanks to a new dam, water levels have risen by 4 meters. People are returning in the hope the sea will make a full recovery. As one man states; "If the sea comes back, life will change for the better".
ABC Australia - Ref. 3510
Journeyman Pictures is your independent source for the world's most powerful films, exploring the burning issues of today. We represent stories from the world's top producers, with brand new content coming in all the time. On our channel you'll find outstanding and controversial journalism covering any global subject you can imagine wanting to know about.

[@mjl451]

Greetings from the USA. Good video and may the Aral (north and south) fill and flow with life and energy for those people once again.

[@nuckleheadrevolution]

@aimasik Kazakhstan hasn`t spent even a quarter of money Uzbekistan spent to recover Aral sea. Whole intstitution works on saving Aral in Uzbekistan. It`s just not easy. We are happy that we brought it to the point where it stopped shrinking at least. Entire humanity needs to pray for Aral`s recovery. Peace

[@odiggler]

Latinos united for the restoration of beautiful KAZAKHSTAN Long live Kazakhstan and long live the Aral sea...

[@alexhubert5425]

Cotton is a crop that grown conventionaly destroys soils and enviroments. Even when cotton is grown organically crops need to be rotated often and regularly with crops that fix soils such as peanuts or potatoes but all these crops use huge amounts of water.

[@johnkeviljr9625]

OK. The North Aral Sea has gone up by 9' which is not nearly enough but better than nothing. Great. That really helps as we can see. But the South Aral Sea is still a desert. And that part of the overall Aral, is by far the largest part. Who's is going to help those folks with that environmental disaster?

[@wildbill9919]

150 million dollars to build another dam? I bet the USA government wastes more than that every hour.

[@IITECHxNiNEII]

I know right? We should at least be over there helping them instead of blowing up villages and wasting time in a war that's not ours to fight, we could be doing something that truly know would be helping and could actually an accomplishment. It hurts me to think about what a waste of potential this country and that lake both have.. :,/

[@wildbill9919]

+IITECHxNiNEII Yes. And the USA gov't also gives money to lazy people who are able to work don't deserve it.

[@aimasik]

Signor, write to my inbox :D this documentary covered the situation with the sea well. You are right. Uzbekistan is not only having lack of funds, but lack of will. They have plenty of cotton and fruit crops.

[@DarkAsSilver]

Thanks this was a great help in geography =D 5*

[@decouvrirlavie]

For those who want to learn more about the Aral Sea: For the past 2+ years, our team have been working on a documentary series exploring the past, present, and future of the Aral Sea. The trailer has just gone live on our channel! 🙏

[@AirshipRider]

These people inspire me to make sure bad things don't happen to our big "O", Lake Okeechobee.

[@СабитСабитов-з8ш]

Не Узбекистан это Каракалпакстан

[@paulk459]

i live in orlando never been to lake okechobee

[@Montestuma]

I want to go to this region of the world. I have never left the western hemisphere but I think Kazakstan Uzbekistan and Mogolia are awsome.

[@sanddollarscholar]

"the sea was the only beautiful thing in town" Poignant, sad. Great clip.

[@pbmeyersr]

Fantastic presentation about a forgotten story. Very instructive this report

[@Love4Ana74]

It is still a lake, there are other lakes with salt water such as Great Slat Lake in the US. The sea is part of the ocean basin and it is created in a very different process.

[@laurencefell3922]

went recently, and it is growing, though the uzbek side might be beyond repair

[@Rysbek1979]

Отлично снято!!! Well done, Emma!!!

[@Lex5576]

It's nice to see there's something being done this. First time I heard about the Aral Sea disaster was in a National Geographic a few years back. The high winds that blow across the empty landscape contain toxic salts that occur naturally from the Earth, mixed along with pesticide runoff from hundreds of miles away. The dust blows into the small towns, and it's made some people deathly ill, and caused cancer in some cases. There's nothing wrong with developing a water system to benefit agriculture, but the way the Soviets did it was downright stupid. The didn't control the water with dams, they just diverted all the rivers in a different direction. They probably knew they were fucking up, but like Socialist governments do, they probably didn't give a damn.

[@mrwooster8571]

Many good points here, but the thing is, it's not just socialist govts that don't give a damn. Here in the US our friends in the SouthWest US still refuse curb expanding into the desert in places like Arizona. California is guilty. Utah, guilty. It isn't just socialist govts that put 'prosperity' first, but capitalist ones, too.

[@frtw4428]

from 5:19 onward when they toast for the return of the Aral Sea, followed by the re-injection of water into the Aral Basin is a wonderful sight to behold. The region where the Aral has been dying has the highest rates of throat cancer in all of Central Asia (likely due to the higher levels of salt inhalation resulting from the sea's dessication). It's going to take a great deal water to reverse the damage done by the old Soviet regime.

[@seriousAkan]

This is the first optimistic report I've seen on Aral sea. It's optimistic. It gives HOPE. Thank you EMMA.

[@bobbarker7733]

Your english is just fine. And this story is fascinating and great to hear!

[@GentiluomoStraniero]

Restoring that pulse of water by 10 percent would yield amazing results in the recovery.

[@mieaab]

One of earliest documentary on Aral Sea. Glad to see this👍👍

[@alexrevul]

Wow This is just amazing!

[@stonew1927]

Besides dams, they should make a concerted effort to plant trees in the region like Africa's sub-Saharan Green Wall. More trees, cooler temps, more moisture, more rainfall, besides the organic matter that is created for the soil. Glad to see that Kazakhstan at least is making an effort to revive its portion of the sea. Hopefully the international community will help come up with the remaining 150 million to extend the dam and help elevate the sea's levels even more.

[@vetgokce1]

Such a nice video and new, thanks a lot. I will go to Aral with my motorcycle next year from Turkiye.

[@oktober69105]

Uzbekistan is actually drilling the former sea bed for oil and gas. What's worse is that the locals won't see much of the earnings.

[@MrBarrsy68]

The problem is water is a finite resource and all a dam does is steal water from another place

[@PhilJonesIII]

+MrBarrsy68 Not explained clearly in the video. They now have much improved water management upstream with enough for the irrigation of farmland and the North Aral Sea. The previous system had been wasteful. However, the amount released is not enough for both the North ( smaller ) and South seas. The dam was constructed to keep all the water in the North and reestablish the fisheries there. Not a perfect solution but one that allows some restoration of the sea and the communities around it. I find it a little sad that a lot of documentaries concentrate on the disaster that still is the South Aral Sea while completely ignoring the achievement that is the North. This is no small achievement but like so many positive environmental projects, virtually ignored.

[@rachelreed7732]

This sounds a lot like the Salton Sea of California, USA.

[@liberalbias4462]

The salton sea Is drying up because of global warming.

[@dlwatib]

Idiot! The Salton Sea was never intended to be a sea in the first place. It was created by accident. "The most recent inflow of water from the now heavily controlled Colorado River was accidentally created by the engineers of the California Development Company in 1905. In an effort to increase water flow into the area for farming, irrigation canals were dug from the Colorado River into the valley. Due to fears of silt buildup, a cut was made in the bank of the Colorado River to further increase the water flow. The resulting outflow overwhelmed the engineered canal, and the river flowed into the Salton Basin for two years, filling the historic dry lake bed and creating the modern sea, before repairs were completed." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salton_Sea

[@debashir]

Australia - Kazakstan friendship! I knew it from the beginning that reporter was australian. Who better can recognize such disasters better than australians?

[@MariusSemeonOrtiz]

not neccesarily. Just cause its called a sea doent mean it has to be salty. The Aral sea used to be freshwater in fact. Then, with the problems it has suffered (losing ~2 thirds of its volume), and with increased evaporation, salinity has increased so much it is salty enough to be considered salt water.

[@SiyahKursun]

I want to study for a semester in Kazakhstan! Thank you for the video! PS: Can someone please answer a question?^^ As a native turkisch speaker is there a communication between me and an kazak possible?

[@Love4Ana74]

Caspian Sea is thousand of kilometers away, it is located in the western part of the country.

[@tortelli]

Oh please almighty god, you have brought them Modern Talking, now bring them back the Aral sea!

[@aimasik]

@Judokkaa Kazakhstan is awesome! Uzbekistan is flled with history, too :)

[@ArMANRazoR]

I hope all will be good. Goverments of two countries must take care about this disaster.

[@calliepohl8977]

Where there is life there is hope. May every ones hope came trea.

[@MariusSemeonOrtiz]

ssmusic214, of course it wasn't always salty. Why do you think it was used to irrigate the fields in the first place!? You can't irrigate with salt water! As i said, it used to be fresh but now due to overextraction, continual pollution and evaporation it is salty enough to be considered salty.

[@CaFPhantom11]

First time i saw the history of the Aral sea it wa on BBC World, since i saw it, i want to go travel to see with my eye what its look like, thank for sharing.

[@rubi84]

Kazakhstan has the second largest uranium, chromium, lead, and zinc reserves, the third largest manganese reserves, the fifth largest copper reserves, and ranks in the top ten for coal, iron, and gold. It is also an exporter of diamonds. Perhaps most significant for economic development, Kazakhstan also currently has the 11th largest proven reserves of both oil and natural gas.

[@sabrekai8706]

Given recent news I'd say Kazakhstan is going to get back into bed with Russia. Their other option, China, smells like rotten fish to them.

[@AthosAmo]

Reminds me of the Okeechobee here in Florida.

[@mieaab]

Definitely a concern. Growing population of Florida will make it worse

[@mojave19]

You'd said I was confused with the Delta; obviously 500 KZbin characters aren't enough to elaborate on "CA's Everglades" so I referenced those with the best (though never absolute) credentials. That simple. Why so hostile, Grey? What's your stake? A restored Salton Sea would be an enormous economic boom to So. CA. Anally speaking, it's actually "The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California" but its headquarters are in Los Angeles which possibly might influence their interests.

[@leonardomoses]

i wish all the best for kazakhstan !!!!

[@seanls15]

YYYYYEEEEEEAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! they used subtitles WOOT WOOT IM SO HAPPY

[@BabyHominid]

There are bound to have been species lost that are gone for good, even if the Aral's waters return.

[@MsToast0o]

my country, kazakhstan ♥

[@nelson3300]

Can't they just revert the rivers to their original paths and slowly but surely refill the lake? so tragic..

[@gus196666]

brother louie ))) nice music il ike modern talking

[@aimasik]

The author did an awesome job, but why did she have to count kilometers from Moscow? we are independent nation! she should have counted from our capital city at least :P I am sure the mayor and other people have invited her to better homes, yet she shows only dark sides, like chipped off windows, wind blown trash, smile of an old man, who is toothless, etc. some buildings are not houses at all, they are places for cattle, or kitchens, where food is cooked or water/coal supplies are stored.

[@ГалымжанЖаксылыкбаев]

my home

[@pohjalo]

There´s no short-term return on investment in saving the flora and fauna of the Aral Sea ?

[@AlexanderSigal]

Fourth largest sea in the world??...... Is this BBC Chanel? You mean second smallest sea in the world?

[@bobloveeurope]

I loved to feature and the good news... But lot more to be done is the sad part of the story...

[@psynema]

Great Success!

[@MadMusicologist]

But this is not sufficient. The whole lake has to be restored.

[@kokshenur]

Of course, the idea of the video might be good, that Aral is floating again, but I didn't like the back idea how she showed Kazakhstan, in general, and the people living there.

[@Sarge084]

@pohjalo The countries that allowed oil companies to build pipelines should have made it a condition of the contract.

[@AlexanderSigal]

if it was technically lake, it would be called that. I used to be inland sea, not lake. It is what's left of an ancient Paratethys Sea. I don't believe in Black sea deluge theory...

[@sunilthakurvloghimalaya8849]

Aral is back,,, sound good,, only 1 Good news ,,,it's nice

[@03MrEd]

@easternshorefilam :::: unfortunately its true, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan don't have to make reducing water supplies, and Kazakhstan should be careful also with Syrdaryo River but Uzbekistan can't do anything, all water suppose to come from mountains where its situated in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

[@Luucky1983]

The song is from "Modern Talking - Brother Louie"!

[@karar.kendall4872]

What song?

[@Sarge084]

@Dccole3214 You don't say!!!!! As I stated in the previous post, if they made a condition of the contract that a water pipe is laid alongside the oil pipeline, then the problem could be easily solved. Let those oil moguls put something back into the environment (Other than oil spills.).

[@BoneThugsss]

thanks a lot

[@ursurucker]

what's the techno song title when the folks were dancing around?

[@karar.kendall4872]

Idk, never listened to it.

[@Icix1]

I could totally see the Russians draining an entire sea. Sounds very cold war.

[@drunksax]

@KaraBurkit if you think that kazakhstan is poor country, you are damn mistaken! Make more researchs about Kazakhstan, it will surprise you )

[@vetgokce1]

@SiyahKursun Gunluk hayat icin kisa surede kazak diline alisabilirsin ancak egitim icin biraz zorlanabilirsin. Cunku ben USA da bulunan Kazak arkadaslarim ile kendi dillerimizde yeterince anlasamiyorum. Ama benzerlikler nedeniyle kisa surede ogrenebilecegin bir dil.

[@tjallew]

let's hope it come's back. wather alway's the bridge to all life. But as a Swedich protestant, what was it Martin Luther sad -If we work more we have to pray less.

[@raeonardobak]

Even now, the Aral Sea-Caspian Sea-Black Sea tentative name: I would like to build the Eurasia Canal so that the Aral Sea can be saved and Uzbekistan can go out to sea. A seawater connection canal with a width of 1.2km that connects the sea to all places below 0m on the earth will solve global warming and allow landlocked countries to advance into the ocean.

[@MrGoatflakes]

Also, is Russia still taking the water for irrigation? If so then they should give it back.

[@breadfromheavenbaptist.lac7755]

we need dragonballs to revive dz. san goco we need you.

[@Sunokanse]

BreadfromHeaven Baptist. LaCastellana before you do that, you first need to get the dragon radar. You don't need Goku, you need Bulma.

[@gigobait]

Where are you from? I bet the country where you live does just as much..

[@wiseye61]

thumbs up! :D

[@Exagerative]

LOL, Well whatever floats your boat :)

[@Beach01]

what is the song at 9:21?

[@oktober69105]

Uzbekistan's government is more interested in drilling the area for oil and gas. The president, Islam Karimov, does not tolerate dissent or care about environmental issues.

[@ArMANRazoR]

That why I chose youtube. To pratice my english.

[@U4pa4mak]

the village inhabitants are they realle kazakhs?? .. i ithink they are Karakalpaks are`nt they?

[@nikia836]

Video ok!

[@seanls15]

o please tell me that put subtitles in for the russian this time, please please please

[@Aerovos]

Kazakhstan is now doing a good job, but Uzbekistan isn't doing anything.

[@Luigifan18]

What do they win? Why, an end to the "cancerstuff", as you so ineloquently put it!

[@dmisevic]

Aral sea will not restore its original size. Because of the irrigation systems upstream the major rivers, there is not enough water reaching the sea. The solution is to make some countries to abandon their irrigation. Thats is not an option. Other solution is to make irrigation better and less water consuming. Too expensive for poor central asia countries. Kazakhstan just saved one small section of the sea.

[@jensjensen9035]

why are this only 240 p

[@blacksheep169]

@Judokkaa I just can recommend you to visit this countries ;)

[@Regressor14]

That was a result of mismanaging of Soviet authorities in the region. But, Aral Sea is not only one sample of terrible attitude to environment of Russians in Central Asia and CIS countries at all. The ill-natureness of Russian leaved pattern on the Kazakh steppes as Semipalatinsk nuclear weapon test polygon, Baikonur, polyogon of Sarishagan etc. That all gonna to be a unplesant heritage to next generations of Kazakh people.

[@BirgirZ]

@MadMusicologist1 the world will keep changeing wether you like it or not.

[@MrGoatflakes]

How the fuck did the fish survive?

[@sitiars]

they didnt, fish have been repopulated

[@bomberboy8869]

lol

[@Aerobix]

They did not only repopulate it - birds carry fish eggs in their wings. Thats how basses come into lakes for example.

[@MrGoatflakes]

Aerobix oh, thanks, I didn't know that :P Weird :P

[@Aerobix]

MrGoatflakes The fish will also bring new species like shells, worms, lampreys etc within or attached to their bodies.

[@Dccole3214]

@Sarge084 Oil makes money, by laying the pipeline it pays for itself. Water doesn't.

[@nRg3]

and what happened than?

[@blueisnotgreen7258]

do you need to put ear rape in at the end?

[@pilotl1011]

@TheSnoody REALLY? What does America do?

[@Rainaman-]

guys - Aral sea lost its waters compered 2010 and 2011 :(

[@TRBNGR666]

when you saw the livestock?

[@UmmHaniyya]

we are not mongols! If u don't know the history and does not understand it, for u better to keep quiet

[@keno77]

Give them the money NOW for the second dam which will rise the water level another 4 meter

[@lunafringe10]

ppl will only care if they are dying of thirst, but then its too late,

[@kontraverzni]

oh my god !

[@ArMANRazoR]

And what you want me to answer?

[@cornishrob123]

if energy was free ,sustainable w ecould transport it from wetter countrys

[@giedriusd]

when we talk of soviets, we don't talk about thinking.