Tha aral sea shrinking By Cyco_Chucky Jan 1, 1930 Large scale building of Aral Sea irrigation canals Jan 1, 1960 Aral Sea is identified as the World’s fourth largest lake (68,000 km) Jan 1, 1965 Aral Sea received about 50 cubic kilometers of fresh water per year Jan 1, 1977 Aral Sea fish harvest declined by 75% Jan 1, 1980 Water level decreased enough to split the Aral Sea into two bodies of water Jan 1, 1990 Aral Sea is declared the world’s worst ecological disaster of the 20th Century by United Nations Environmental Programme Jan 1, 1994 Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan sign a treaty to pledge 1% of their budget to helping the Aral Sea recover Jan 1, 1995 Nukus Declaration signed Jan 1, 1998 Alma-Ata Treaty signed Jan 1, 1999 Ashgabat Declaration signed Jan 1, 2003 Kazakh government announced a plan to build a concrete dam separating the two halves of the Aral Sea Jan 1, 2004 Scientists predict the Aral Sea will disappear in 15 years Jan 1, 2006 Experts predict the Aral Sea will disappear, earlier than originally thought, by the year 2015
