the aral sea/ conflict between india and bangladesh

• the aral sea has been shrinking since the 1960s.
• in the late 1950s the soviet gouverment diverted water from 2 rivers that fed into the aral sea  (syr darya and amu darya)
• water was extracted for irrigation and agriculture such as planting fruits and cotton farming. providing jobs for millions of farm workers.

negative impacts:

• `fishing community suffered as it once employed 60,000 people. the led to economic hardship
• locl residents suffered as wind blew salt and dust from the dried out sea bed
• drinking water became heavily polluted and infant mortality rates had peaked as 10% of children were dying before they reached the age of 1
• environmental impacts, as many species began to die out
• irrrigation created salinisation for kazakstahn farmers, making drinking water and food crops salty
• there was an increase in environmental migrants as their land became so infertile

causes;

• unequal share of the ganges river, most of the water is used by india
• 1974 india opend a the farakka barrage, cotrolling water flowing into the bangladesh bourder
• upstream there is there is a series of dams, which diverts water for irrigation schemes 
• water is also used by indias largest cities to transfer wastewater for industrial and domestic uses.
• there was an agreement made in 1990s, however india stilluses up most of the water 

• bangladesh was deprived of water, and suffered from polluted water
• reduced flow of water affected irrigation and production
• fishing idustry declinig
• the rise and fall of the river makes the rice industry unreliable
• lower river levels makes water-borne rade even more difficult
• increased salinisation
• erosion of river delta as less silt is being carried (downststream) and deposited
• sea water intrusion (a movment of sea water into fresh water aquifires) increases as the delta dries out.