The consequences
The wonder of wetlands
Wetlands have a vast capacity to absorb chemicals, filter pollutants and sediments, and cleanse millions of litres of life-bearing water. They even act as highly effective sewage treatment works, and are quite capable of breaking down suspended solids and
neutralizing harmful bacteria.
Take these important functions away, and chaos ensues. Polluted water
kills fish. Migratory birds abandon the area and either go elsewhere or die out. The disappearance of wildlife eventually leads to people's food supplies being disrupted or destroyed and
their livelihoods ruined. Wetland pollution ultimately brings death and disease to human, plant, and animal communities across the world.
A case in point is the Aral Sea in central Asia - the most polluted area
of water on Earth. Once known as the Blue Sea, it was the world's fourth
largest freshwater lake. But in just 30 years, it has shrunk to less
than half its size and has become as salty as any ocean. As the water
retracted and evaporated, it left in its wake 3.6 million hectares of
polluted soil that is swept up by fierce storms and dumped on surrounding
land. Food is now scarce, infant mortality is on the increase
and life expectancy is declining - by as much as 20 years, say some experts.
This ecological catastrophe has been caused by decades of mismanagement and neglect, such as the excessive diversion of water for irrigation schemes, the indiscriminate pollution of rivers that flow into the sea, and the abstraction of vast amounts of wat
er for power generation. Now, the United Nations, World Bank, European Union, and a number of countries are mobilizing in an international effort to restore the Aral Sea's ecological balance, replenish natural resources, and deal with public health, water
, pesticides, and other urgent matters in a race against time.
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