Kokaral Dam

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The Kokaral Dam 2006 (above) and its impact on the northern Aral Sea based on a comparison with 2005 (below)

The Kokaral Dam is a gravity dam or dam through a narrow section of the Aral Sea in Kazakhstan . It prevents water from flowing out of the small (northern) to the large (southern) Aral Sea. Construction began in 2003 and was completed in August 2005 .

Dam break in 1999

The dam is named after the Kokaral peninsula, which it connects to the opposite bank and thus separates the northern from the southern part of the lake. Due to lack of funds, the dam was built four times in the past (1992, 1992–1993, 1996–1997 and 1997–1998) from sand, but it could never withstand the dammed water. However, positive effects on the environment have already been observed during the short time that the dam has withstood. The climate became milder and the fauna was partially able to regenerate. In 2003 construction began again. As the World Bank provided funding, this time concrete could be used instead of sand. The dam is 13 km long and 10 m high.

The overflow is at a height of 42 meters above sea level. The reason for the construction of the dam is the falling water level of the Aral Sea due to increased water consumption since the Stalin era and the associated salinization . In 2006 - earlier than expected - an increase in the water level and a decrease in salinity in the northern Aral Sea was recorded. The fish stocks have again reached an economically relevant level, so that fish can now be exported again. Further results are increased rain clouds and changes in the microclimate, which suggest an improvement in the agricultural sector.

In the last few years the lake did not reach its maximum water level any more; Satellite images show severe leaks on the dam body, the target of the dam can obviously no longer be reached without the risk of the dam breaking again.

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  1. ^ World Bank: Saving a Corner of the Aral Sea. In: What We Do / Projects & Operations. The World Bank, September 1, 2005, accessed September 28, 2017 .
  2. ↑ "Saved what can be saved" - The Aral becomes a reservoir , accessed on January 2, 2013
  3. ↑ The Aral Sea Disaster , PDF file 713 kB, accessed on January 2, 2013
  4. ↑ A Glint in the Distance , accessed January 2, 2013
  5. ↑ Ilan Greenberg: A vanished sea reclaims its form in Central Asia ( dt A Missing See gains in Central Asia back its shape. . In: International Herald Tribune . The New York Times , April 5, 2006, accessed on 14 October 2012 .
  6. ↑ Miraculous Catch in Kazakhstan's Northern Aral Sea ( Memento from February 14, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Wonderful [fish] catch in the northern Kazakh Aral Sea - World Bank, June 2006
  7. ↑ LandsatLook / Sentinel2Look. Retrieved June 21, 2018 .

Web links

Coordinates: 46 ° 5 ′ 48 ″  N , 60 ° 47 ′ 35 ″  E