The Disappearing Aral Lake and the Ship Graveyard of Moynaq

Moynaq (also spelled as Muynak and Moynaq) is a city in northern Karakalpakstan in western Uzbekistan.

Today, Muynak is separated from the sea by more than 150 kilometers.

Vessels that once floated in the waters now stand rusting in the sun at the famous ship graveyard.

But how did this happen?

In the 1940s, ambitious Soviet planners embarked on a massive water program designed to make the desert bloom.

With most of the sea’s water supply gone, the Aral Sea began to shrink.

By 2007, the Aral sea had declined to 10% of its original size.

When the Aral Sea began to shoal, a 20-kilometer canal was dug.

But it was useless.

There is an ongoing effort in Kazakhstan to save and replenish the North Aral Sea.

In 2005, the Kokaral Dam was built to control the inflow of waters coming from the Syr Darya.

Thanks to the dam the level of water has rose by 24 meter in 2008.

However, the outlook for the remnants of the South Aral Sea remains bleak.

The black line shows the lake shore ca.

Animated map of the shrinking of the Aral Sea

Sources:1,2,3,4