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Section 4. Geography
Abbasov Subkhan Burkhanovich, Sabirova Nilufar Tairovna, Samarkand State University, Samarkand, Uzbekistan Email: [email protected]
AYDAR-ARNASAY LAKE SYSTEM: ECOLOGICAL SAFETY AND ITS PROBLEMS OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Abstract: Environmental safety is one of the most important and urgent problems of the present and future of our society. The concept of sustainable development arises from the assessment of adverse effects in the geographic envelopes and understanding of global environmental problems. By the decree of the Cabinet of Ministers was established the National Commission on Sustainable Development of Uzbekistan Republic from November 12, 1997. (By the decree of the Cabinet of Ministers of November 12, 1997 the National Commission on Sustainable Development of the Republic of Uzbekistan was established.) The main goal of the concept of sustainable development in Uzbekistan is to strengthen the demographic system, solve economic and social issues, improve and restore the natural geographical environment, scientific substantiation of environmental education. In this article discusses the issues of environmental safety and sustainable development by the example of the Aydar-Arnasay lake system. It is important to study the irrigated and anthropogenic lakes of our arid climate, as well as to ensure environmental safety during the disastrous fate of the Aral Sea, unfolding before our eyes.
Keywords: irrigation lake, ecological risk, salty dust, soil salinity, wastewater, water levels.
1. Introduction fluence of the lake on dynamic change in the landscape by
One of the most important problems facing the world Gudalov M. (2011) [8]. Also, the study of the issues of the
community is to ensure the safety of humanity on a global Aydar-Arnasay lake system can be found in the works of other
scale, as well as to ensure and strengthen sustainable develop- scientists-hydrologists, ecologists and geographers. In general,
ment of environmental safety as one of the key components the issues of environmental protection and sustainable devel-
of this process. Naturally, environmental security is one of the opment of its environmental safety have not been thoroughly
global problems of our time. However, comprehensive study, studied in the Aydar-Arnasay lake system. And these issues
research and analysis of ecologically hazardous (dangerous) continue to remain one of the urgent problems of today and
geographical areas at the local, regional and territorial levels the near future.
are among the most pressing problems facing all researchers. 2. Data and methodology
Environmental safety and sustainable development in Uz- To address environmental issues in the Aydar-Arnasay
bekistan have been studied by many domestic scientists. In Lake System, historical, comparative and statistical meth-
particular, the issues of ecological safety of landscape of lakes ods were used. The statistical data on the management of the
Aydar-Arnasay system are raised in their works by Alibekov Syrdarya and Zarafshan irrigation systems as of January 1,
L. (2011, 2016) [1, 2], Matchanov M. (2009) [3], Starodubt- 2017 were studied and analyzed.
sev V. M., Petrenko R. (2007) [4]. In the scientific studies of 3. Study area
scientists-geography Abbasov S. (2007) [4] and Kulmatov In order to improve the ecological safety of the lake sys-
R. (2013) [6] examined the ecological situation and the se- tem, Aydar Arnasay, taking into account the sad experience
curity of this region. Indications of lake water quality and the gained on the example of the tragic fate of the Aral Sea in the
impact on the environment of the hydrochemical regime are prevention of environmental safety, the following tasks were
described by Chimbarisov E. et. al. (2016) [7], and the in- identified:
1. Determination of the positive and negative effects of the influence of the lake on the adjacent landscapes.
2. Statistical analysis of the degree of soil salinity and rising water level in the lake area.
3. Drawing up proposals and recommendations for improving the ecological safety of the lake zone in the future.
4. Results and discussion
Today, environmental security has emerged from the level of national and regional problems and is becoming a common problem at the global level for all of humanity. Nature and society interact with each other on the basis of regularities. Violation of these patterns creates the above-mentioned all-human problems. This can be illustrated by the tragic fate of the Aral Sea, a catastrophe that occurred because of the disparity between nature and society. Now it has come out of a number of regional problems and has risen to the world level. In the recent past, the water level in the Aral Sea was 53 m above sea level, and its area was 66,085 km2 with a water volume 1062 km3 and salinity 10 g/l. Since 1960, due to the rapid development of irrigation in Central Asia, the volume of water discharges into it has decreased from year to year, and sometimes even stopped (1983-1989) [2]. As a result, the largest lake in the Central Asia - the Aral Sea, has turned into a salt desert. Today dusty rocks, raised by tons from the dried bottom of the lake, cause serious damage to the population and agriculture of the Aral Sea region. At present, the Aral catastrophe covers a number of interrelated problems, and saline aerosols, rising from the bottom of the former lake, complicate this situation and increasingly impede the search for solutions to existing problems. Here it would be appropriate to recall the words of the first President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, I. A. Karimov [11]. He wrote in his book of "Uzbekistan on the threshold of the twenty-first century: threats to security, conditions of stability and guarantees for progress": "It was possible to resolve the situation with the Aral Sea in the early 1970s, at the latest - in the beginning of 1980s, when sea level has not yet managed to decrease too much. At present, it is very difficult to undertake anything and later this process will become even more complicated or completely uncontrollable". With these words, the opinion was expressed regarding environmental safety and the problems of its sustainable development. Since the 1960s, the waters of the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers flowing into the Aral Sea have been mercilessly used to develop new lands. Drainage of abundant irrigation water has led to the appearance of a large number of anthropogenic artificial lakes in the arid climate of our country. In our country the number of such artificial lakes is 125 with areas up to 1 km2. Examples are the artificial lakes with a water volume of about 40 km3 or more, the Aydar-Arnasai lake system (Tuzkan, Arnasay, Aydarkul), Sarikamish, Dengizkul,
Korakir, Oyokogitma, Ayozkala, Oybugir and other irrigation lakes [2]. The largest lake among them is the Aydar-Arnasay lake system. Today, comprehensive research and study of such lakes with an area of 4000 km2 will help ensure sustainable environmental safety, avoid duplication of the Aral Sea's fate and prevent problems similar to the Aral Sea ecosystems (salt aerosols) [4].
Looking at the history of the Aydar-Arnasay lake system, at the first stage of Mirzachul development, in the Aydarkul area, where the lakes appeared there were layers of salt 20-30 cm thick. Later, when Mirzachul began to actively develop, lakes appeared on these saline places as a result of direction of the drainage waters of irrigation canals. The volume of the lake was mainly increased due to precipitation in 1969 due to the water discharged from the Chardara reservoir, and from that time the water volume was 21 km3. In 1969, as a result of water discharge of 20 km3 from the Chardara reservoir, the water level in the Tuzkan lake (in antiquity provided the population with salt) increased by 10 meters, and the level of Lake Aydarkul by 22 meters, while the total area of the lake system was 2172 km2 [3]. As can be seen from the information, the lake at the same time occupied the most of the salt sediments of the Aydar region. This is the environmental risk associated with unstable increase in water levels. Worst of all, the lake absorbs a large sandy desert - Kizilkum and now, when it is drained, there is a danger of raising salt dust. This means that increasing or decreasing the amount of water in the lake can lead to major environmental hazards.
Of course, there are positive aspects of the lake appearance in the desert. We will analyze them in Table 1. But it must be emphasized that there were more negative sides [9]. One of them is an increase in the salinity of water. It was reported that 10.2 million tons of salt from the collector-drainage systems and 1.9 million tons of salt from the Chardara reservoir to date have been discharged (the average mineralization of the Syrdarya is 0.9-1.0 g/l) [10]. Moreover, if the water level of the Tuzkan Lake falls, the mineralization will increase, that will greatly damage to the lake's ecosystem.
Salt dust raised from the bottom of the lake will also increase the ecological hazard and may affect coastal regions of the lake, such as Jizzakh, Navoi, Samarkand, Tashkent and some others. We already see and feel the pain because of the ecological disaster of the Aral Sea.
In the Farish district of the Djizak region, in order to stabilize environmental safety and prevent a similar situation in the future, the Farish State Irrigated Forestry has been established on an area of more than 2,600 hectares. According to the forestry data, between 2008 and 2015, 300 hectares of irrigated forests were planted in the southern part of the lakes, and in 2016-2017 these indicators increased by another 100
hectares and reached 400 hectares. Currently there are 1,100 hectares of irrigated forests near the lake. However, in some years drought and low rainfall prevent the growth of irrigated
Table 1.- Assessment of the environmental
forests. But, in spite of this, the expansion of the intensive wooded environment will help stabilize environmental safety and prevent the raising of salt dust.
impact of the Aydar-Arnasay lake system
Positive sides Negative sides
1. Increased biodiversity of the lake; 2. Increase in the populations of rare species of plants, birds, fish and animals on the lake; 3. High potential of ecotourism; 4. Development of fisheries; 5. Development of recreational and tourism opportunities; 6. Use of water transport. 1. Flooding of pastures, irrigated lands, motorways and houses as a result of the increase in water level; 2. Increase in population migration; 3. Saturation of lakes with drainage waters and increase in the level of mineralization; 4. High risk of population decline in some species of fish, plants, animals; 5. Risk of raising the level of groundwater; 6. Soil salinity and decline in agricultural productivity; 7. The capture of sandy deserts due to the increase in the surface of water (the danger of salt dust); 8. Increase in precipitation in coastal areas.
Another problem is that the water surface in the lake is increasing. Along with the increase in the water surface of the lake, there is a strong transformation of the landscape in the area surrounding the lake system. These strong changes can be observed in the agro-irrigation landscapes around the lake. The greatest danger lies in raising the level of subsurface waters and increasing the salinity of the soil layer. According
to the data obtained from the management of the Syrdarya and Zarafshan irrigation systems, as ofJanuary 1, 2017, 4145 hectares of total irrigated land around the lake were highly saline. From that, 2470 hectares or 60% of the irrigated land corresponds to for the two districts, Arnasay (1290 hectares, 31%) and Dustlik (1180 hectares, 29%). This status can be explained by the proximity of regions to the lake.
Figure 1. Indicators of highly saline irrigated land in the vicinity of the Aydar-Arnasay Lakes System
Besides that, as of April 1, 2017, the level of groundwater in the territory of irrigated land on the area of39592 hectares rose by 0-1.0 meters, and the level of groundwater in the area of 142922 hectares of irrigated land rose by 1.0-3.0 meters. This indicates that the salinity of the soil and the increase in the level of underground groundwater will lead to irrational use of irrigated land and the expansion of wetlands.
5. Conclusion:
In conclusion, we can say that it is necessary to solve the issues of ensuring environmental safety and stability in our country, and, first ofall, rational use of existing water resources in our territory. In addition, it would be advisable to take the following measures in order to prevent environmental threats regarding the object of our research - the Aydar-Arnasay lake system:
• proper use of irrigation systems;
• reconstruction of drainage-collector systems;
• monitoring of water discharge from the Chardara
• achieving a stable water surface area;
• transformation of the zone up to 3 km around the lake into irrigated forests.
reservoir;
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