Over Last 30 Years, Caspian Sea has Declined in Size by an Area the Size of Sicily and People around It are Getting Sick, ‘Kedr’ Says

Paul Goble

            Staunton, July 14 – In the course of the last three decades, the Caspian Sea has declined in size by an area the size of Sicily and is projected to lose roughly a third of its current surface area by the end of this century, something with consequences all too like those which preceded the death of the Aral Sea in Central Asia.

            Many ports are now far from the coast, and many ships that had plied the waters of the Caspian are now rusting away far from water, the Kedr portal says. But most seriously, experts say, this retreat in the shoreline of that sea just as was the case with the Aral is having a negative impact on the health of the people around it (kedr.media/stories/cherty-umirayushhego-morya/).

            That is because various mineral and biological deposits that had been safely under water are now exposed and being spread into populated areas by the winds, a development that is likely to lead to a sharp increase in diseases like cancer just as has been the case with the death of the Aral Sea and the health of the people of Karakalpakstan in particular.

            Unfortunately, despite these dangers, the littoral states have been unable to reach agreement on what to do. Indeed, they are still divided between those, mostly in Russia, who think that the sea will make a comeback and that there is no need for expensive new programs; and those in the other littoral states who are convinced that is delusional.

            If that deadlock is not resolved and soon, something that at the moment seems extremely improbable, then the Caspian is on course to follow the Aral into oblivion, with the economic situation and health of the populations of the littoral states certain to suffer in significant ways in the coming years.