Astana (TDI): Kazakhstan has stepped up its campaign to restore the northern part of the former Aral Sea, urging neighboring Central Asian countries to strengthen regional cooperation to combat one of the world’s worst environmental disasters.
Experts warn that despite decades of international attention, efforts to revive the sea remain insufficient.
Once the world’s fourth-largest lake, the Aral Sea began shrinking in the 1960s after the Soviet Union diverted water from its two main rivers, the Amu Darya and Syr Darya, to support massive irrigation schemes for cotton and agriculture. As regional water demand grew, the sea steadily receded.
By 1989, it had split into two parts: the Northern (Small) Aral Sea in Kazakhstan and the Southern (Large) Aral Sea in Uzbekistan. In 2014, the eastern basin of the southern section dried up completely, giving rise to the Aralkum Desert, now one of the youngest deserts on Earth.
Read More: Kazakhstan Increases Water Flow to Aral Sea
Kazakhstan, with support from international partners, has since focused on reviving the northern portion. The Kok-Aral Dam, completed in 2005, helped stabilize water levels, reducing salinity and enabling the return of native fish species. Local fisheries, once abandoned, have been revived in towns like Aralsk, where annual fish catches have increased more than tenfold since the early 2000s, according to the Ministry of Ecology. The partial recovery has restored livelihoods and provided hope to local communities, according to The Times of Central Asia.
Speaking at the International Astana Think Tank Forum 2025 on October 15, First Deputy Foreign Minister Yerzhan Ashikbayev called for stronger international engagement to protect the Aral and Caspian Seas, underscoring Kazakhstan’s commitment to regional climate action.
“Astana calls for increased international participation in solving environmental problems and preserving the water resources of the Aral and Caspian Seas,” Ashikbayev said, adding that the Regional Climate Summit planned for Astana in 2026 would serve as a platform for joint strategies and collective action.
Read More: Kazakhstan Chairs Aral Sea Fund
Earlier this month, Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov hosted counterparts from Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan at the second meeting of the Board of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS), which Kazakhstan currently chairs. The leaders discussed ways to coordinate water-sharing policies and strengthen basin management.
Bektenov acknowledged the difficulties caused by recent drought conditions but praised regional coordination for maintaining a stable water regime.
“Each country has its national interests, and we must defend them,” he said. “But our common strategic goal is good neighborly relations. In solving short-term challenges, we must not undermine long-term priorities. I am confident we will take joint measures to ensure mutually beneficial solutions.”
