Efforts to preserve the delta of the Amu-Dar'ya are important because of its ecological and economic value. One proposal is to construct a low dike or dikes on the dried bottom in front of and around the delta to reflood former gulfs and raise ground water levels, partially restoring its former ecological character; improving agriculture, fisheries and trapping: and providing a barrier to salt, sand and dust blowing from the dried bottom of the Aral Sea.

Reducing the frequency and severity of salt and dust storms is also a priority. This could be accomplished by stabilization of the large expanses of saline former bottom along the northeastern and eastern shoreline of the sea which are the chief sources of such storms. The most feasible means for stabilization is planting of salt-tolerant vegetation (e.g. black saksaul) and application of chemicals to consolidate the loose surface material.

Partial restoration of the small sea is also feasible. Naturally separated from the large sea in 1987 its level could be raised with relatively small increases of inflow, compared to the situation for the large sea, since its surface area, and hence evaporation losses, are much smaller.

To restore the entire Aral Sea to its size would be a daunting task.

Practical consideration may dictate that even under the best of future circumstances, the Aral Sea can only partially be revived. Assuming the discharge to the sea were reasonably clean, endemic flora and fauna could be reintroduced to the sea from lakes in the Amu-Dar'ya and Syr-Dar'ya delta where they still survive (or from other lakes with similar ecological conditions to the pre1960s Aral Sea, such as Balkhash). They would probably do well in the freshened zones around the mouth of the Amu-Dar'ya and Syr-Dar'ya, even though the salinity in the open sea would be above the optimal for them. This is a powerful argument for making efforts to preserve what remains of the original flora and fauna of the Aral Sea, either in deltaic lakes or in parts of the remaining sea in which habitat conditions of the pre-recession Aral Sea could be artificially maintained. More salt-tolerant types of fishes could also be introduced, as long as care was taken to select species that would not become major competitors to the indigenous varieties.

EXERCISES:

1. Form nouns from the following verbs and translate them into Russian:

plant, restore, separate, increase, implement, consider, revive, compare, situate, evaporate, select, dictate, argue, maintain, introduce, cooperate, state, result, reconstruct, irrigate, alleviate, issue, improve, provide, supply, measure, show, start, save, propose, trap, reduce, stabilize, mean.

2. Find in the text the English equivalents for the following words and word-combinations:

согласованные усилия, реальная помощь, международное сообщество, ключевой вопрос, чистая питьевая вода, снизить рост населения, немедленно, в течение десятилетия, оросительные системы, поднять уровень воды, рыбный промысел, пыльная буря, средство, частичное восстановление, эндемическая флора и фауна, искусственно поддерживать, конкурент.

3. Answer the following questions:

1. What are the most critical problems of the Aral Sea region?

2. Why is it important to preserve the delta of the Amu-Dar'ya?

3. Why is it necessary to reduce the frequency and severity of salt and dust storms?

4. What are the chief sources of the storms?

5. Can the entire Aral Sea be restored to its prerecession size?

6. Why should the endemic fauna and flora be reintroduced to the sea?

7. Why should salt-tolerant vegetation be planted in the Aral Sea region?

4. Copy out of each paragraph the sentences containing the most important information.

5. Express the main idea of the whole text in English.

New words and expressions:

surround – окружать

accompany – сопровождать

owing to – из-за, по причине, вследствие

underestimate – недооценивать

confident – уверенный

benefit – польза, выгода

outweigh – перевешивать

harm – вред

experience – опыт

throe – муки, агония

reverse – изменять

rectify – исправлять

appeal – взывать, обращаться

proposal – предложение

caution – осторожность, предупреждение

disrupt – сорвать

cause – причинять, вызывать, заставлять

collapse – падение, крах, провал

Read the international words and give their Russian equivalents:

scale, negative, human, massive, planner, engineer, radical, result, experience, hydrological, period, process, correct, complex, management, collapse.

The Aral Sea and surrounding region has suffered large scale negative environmental change accompanied by major economic losses and human suffering over the past 4 decades owing to development of massive irrigation works. Soviet planners and engineers in 1950s, 1960s and 1970s underestimated both the range and severity of these consequences. They were confident that the socio-economic benefits of irrigation development outweigh any harm that might result.

What lesson can be learnt from the Aral Sea experience?

1) Once a large hydrological system such as the Aral Sea basin is in the throes of radical change, it is very difficult, costly and requires a lengthy period to reverse the process (i. e. it is much easier to create such problems than to rectify them).

2) Simplistic and, at first glance, appealing proposals to correct complex water management problems in the Aral Sea basin quickly (e. g. through rapid and massive cuts in irrigation to free water for the Aral Sea) should be approached with caution as they may so disrupt the economy as to cause its collapse.