Aralkum desert dust threatens Tajikistan’s glaciers, experts warn

The Aralkum, a desert formed on the dried-up bed of the Aral Sea, covers more than 5. 5 million hectares and is a major source of dust and salt carried by the wind, according to a report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The report cites annual estimates of dust and salt emissions from the Aralkum based on the Regional Strategy for the Management of Sand and Dust Storms in Central Asia for 2021–2030 , published in 2021. The FAO identifies excessive water withdrawals for irrigation as one of the main causes of the Aral Sea basin’s degradation, with climate change worsening the situation.

Efforts to restore ecosystems are also hampered by soil salinization, shortages of seeds and seedlings, limited nursery capacity, and a lack of specialists and monitoring resources. How Aral dust reaches Tajikistan Experts have previously warned that dust storms originating from the Aral Sea region can reach Tajikistan’s upper Zeravshan Valley. The dried-up seabed, together with the Karakum and Kyzylkum deserts, is considered one of the sources of sand and dust storms that threaten the country’s environment. Experts have also raised concerns about dust from the Aralkum’s salt flats and dunes reaching Tajikistan’s glaciers. Salt deposits on the former seabed contain…