Uzbekistan

Have you heard of how humans turned the world’s 4:th largest lake into what’s now Earth’s youngest desert? 

The Aralkum desert in Uzbekistan is the most visible result of the worst man-made environmental disaster.

Before Soviet authorities in the 1960s’ diverted two rivers for cotton irrigation, Aral Lake or Aral See covered the area, and fishing was a major source of income. 

Today, rusting fishing ships lay abandoned, far from any water,  in the middle of a toxic salty sand desert. Planting resilient trees in the area is hopefully a way forward.

The OUAW Uzbekistan sand is from this very area. As a reminder not of the disaster but as a reminder to learn from your mistakes. If there’s a will, there’s a way!