Once-Dying Inland Sea Shows Remarkable Comeback

Kazakhstan has restored a third of the North Aral Sea’s water volume through dam construction, improved water management, and strengthened regional cooperation, reviving ecosystems and fishing livelihoods after decades of decline.

“The achievement of our water-restoration targets is progressing ahead of schedule,” said Nurzhan Nurzhigitov, Kazakhstan’s Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation.

The Aral Sea had lost about 90% of its water after rivers were diverted for irrigation in the 1960s. Since the Kokaral Dam was built in 2005 and new water-management policies were introduced, the Northern Aral’s surface area has grown by 36%, water volume has nearly doubled, and salinity has halved. Fish species that had vanished have returned, with around 20 species now present again, supporting a revived fishing industry that exports 4,000 to 5,000 tonnes of fish annually.