The Falling Levels of the Caspian and Aral Seas

The dramatic sea-level falls in the Caspian Sea since 1930 and in the Aral Sea since 1961 are ascribed mainly to reduced riverflow consequent upon dam construction and the expansion of irrigation. Considerable economic losses have resulted from the Caspian's fall, largely because of damage to the fishing industry, whilst the minimal economic value of the Aral Sea has brought calls for its desiccation. Only river diversion schemes can steady the declining levels of the landlocked seas and only a transfer of Siberian water can halt the sea level falls. Soviet plans have shifted away from gigantic dams and huge reservoirs, towards a system of more modest barrages and canals leading eventually, perhaps, to a water grid in European Russia and Western Siberia.