An Overview Of Environmental Issues In Central Asia

The geographic area of Central Asia is largely arid and semi-arid and very sensitive to environmental perturbations. Recent changes in social structures and resource management practices, accompanied by regional climate change, have caused substantial environmental concerns. The Aral Sea has shrunk by almost 30% over the past two decades, the flow rate of the two major rivers in the region, the Amu Darya and Syr Darya, has been reduced significantly due to overdraws along their courses from intensified irrigation and industrial use, soil salinization problems have worsened due to increased surface evaporation, snow covers and glaciers have receded due to regional climate change and thus reduced freshwater supplies to the region, and, as a result, the local economy has been significantly impacted to the extent that the potential for social unrest is a big concern. There is a need to develop new technologies to mitigate these environmental problems and at the same time there is a critical need to develop adaptation strategies to cope with continued environmental change. This chapter outlines at a broad scale the environmental issues of the region and potential socioeconomic consequences.