Control-Z for the Aral Sea?

Many people have been aware of the plight of the Aral sea. Having its source rivers exploited to provide water for growing cotton [a very thirsty crop] has meant that it has lost huge amounts of its former size and become an environmental disaster; concentrating pollution, stranding settlements and endangering ecosystems and livelihoods.
The picture here of where the shore used to be gives a sense of the magnitude of the problem.

But there is

some hope for the recovery of the Aral Sea... part of it, at least. A World Bank-sponsored project - the Kok-Aral Dam - has been helpind desalinate the smaller Northern Aral Sea, raising the water level from 125 feet from 98 feet. The rise in sea levels has allowed fish stocks to (partially) return, and future projects are underway to return native fish to the sea. Fishermen are working the Northern Aral again for the first time in a generation.

Wouldn't it be great to see the whole sea restored? Think about the cotton you wear ... have we been wearing the Aral sea and depriving the flora, fauna and communities around the sea of their water? Time to cut down, recycle, reuse and buy organic and properly mananged cotton or look for alternatives.
WorldChanging: Another World Is Here: Control-Z for the Aral Sea?
Filed in: Aral, environment, water