World Bank help for Aral Sea

The implementation of a project to improve the Northern Aral Sea in Kazakhstan, to be funded by the World Bank, moved a step closer this week after being ratified by one of the country's two chambers of parliament. "This project is not effective yet, because it still needs to be ratified by the other chamber of parliament," the head of the World Bank office in Kazakhstan, Elena Karaban, told IRIN on Wednesday from the Kazakh capital, Almaty. Ratified by the Majlis (lower house of parliament) on 13 February, it now has to be sent to the Senate. The US $64.5 million loan was approved by the World Bank in June 2001 to help sustain and increase agriculture, livestock and fish production in the Syr Darya basin and secure the existence of the Aral Sea, which, since the Soviets began diverting the rivers flowing into it for irrigation in the 1950s, has shrunk to a third of its original size. The sea, which is also an important source of drinking water, has become a health hazard with increased salt and pollutant content in the air and soil. As a result, Kazakh doctors say there have been increased incidences of tuberculosis, anaemia, cancer and birth defects. Other Central Asian countries, including Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, dependent on the Aral Sea have also been affected. More than 2,000 people a year die of disease in the Aral Sea area, according to the Uzbek health ministry. Environmentalists in the region say there also needs to be a stronger commitment from the Kazakh government. "Management of the sea has not been very good in the past," sustainable development policy specialist, UNDP, Kazakhstan, Zharas Takenov in Almaty told IRIN. "It is crucial to restore this part of the river," he added, saying that there was an immediate need for a dam to be built between the north and south of the sea to ensure a higher level of water in the northern part, which is currently very low. Takenov also spoke about other problems created by low water levels such as the movement of sand dunes into cities surrounding the sea. "If the water level is raised it will cover these sand dunes," he explained. At least an estimated 73 cubic km of water would have to be discharged into the Aral Sea each year for a period of at least 20 years in order to restore the 1960 level of 53 metres above sea level, according to a report by the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). The World Bank project would include constructing a dike across the Berg strait and excavating a deep channel to connect the Northern Aral Sea with the larger Southern Aral Sea to help reduce salinity levels, Karaban said. Rehabilitation and reconstruction of hydraulic structures in the Syr Darya basin to improve water management, and the rehabilitation of the Chardara dam, which currently does not meet normal safety standards, would also be high priorities, she added. The project is to be implemented by the Kazakh government, which, in addition to providing technical assistance, would also finance overall project management. Kazakhstan joined the World Bank in 1992 and since then the international lending organisation has committed US $1.88 billion for a total of 22 projects in the country. The multi-million dollar loan has a maturity of 20 years with a five-year grace period.