Public health problems in the Aral Sea region

Beginning in 1960, After irrigation projects in the Soviet Union diverted water from the Aral Sea, it began to dry up and leave behind salts, other minerals and toxins in the soil alongside the coastline and in the area. This not only contaminated the soil but was also picked up by winds and storms, and traveled to other areas, including over crop lands and river systems in modern day Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan.

This has led to increased health problems like respiratory diseases and cancers, among multiple other linked health effects in the approximately 3.5 million to 4 million people who live directly in the immediate disaster zone surrounding the Aral salt lake basin. The change in the size of the Aral Sea has also affected the local climate and resulted in increased occurrences and worsening of storms.