Environmental issues in Turkmenistan

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Environmental issues in Turkmenistan are most visible in three significant areas: desertification, the drying of the Aral Sea, and chemical pollution. All three of these areas are directly linked to agricultural practices in the country.[1][2]

Only the Sahara Desert in Africa has a higher rate of desertification than that of Central Asian deserts. Of these, the Karakum Desert and Kyzyl Kum Desert in Turkmenistan grow by hundreds of thousands of acres annually. These conditions persist due to inefficient agricultural irrigation and cattle grazing practices, which have led to the salinization of soil and the removal of ground cover plants respectively.

Inefficient irrigation techniques on the Amu Darya also contribute to the continued drying of the Aral Sea.[3][4] Daşoguz Province experiences the most problems due to this drying. Drinking water quality has plummeted, bacteria levels in water have risen, and rates of infant mortality, hepatitis, and illness have risen.[5]

Excessive use of fertilizer on cotton and other crops, as well as the use of pesticides such as DDT causes a large chemical pollution problem. Many fertilizers and pesticides have entered groundwater supplies via leaching or runoff from farms due to excessive or improper use.[6]

6 billion dollars worth of methane, a greenhouse gas which causes climate change, was estimated to leak in 2019/20.[7]

The country is cooperating with the European Union, its member states and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) to reduce and manage the impact of these environmental problems.[8][9]

References[]

  1. ^ "Turkmenistan combating desertification". AzerNews.az. 2017-06-20. Retrieved 2021-08-12.
  2. ^ "Environmental issues in Turkmenistan". naturvernforbundet.no (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2021-08-12.
  3. ^ "World of Change: Shrinking Aral Sea". earthobservatory.nasa.gov. 2014-09-24. Retrieved 2021-08-12.
  4. ^ "The Aral Sea Crisis". www.columbia.edu. Retrieved 2021-08-12.
  5. ^ Wæhler, Turid Austin; Dietrichs, Erik Sveberg (2017-10-02). "The vanishing Aral Sea: health consequences of an environmental disaster". Tidsskrift for den Norske Legeforening. 137 (18). doi:10.4045/tidsskr.17.0597. ISSN 0029-2001. PMID 28972331.
  6. ^ K.R.Masilamani · (2020-11-06). "World's largest stockpiles of toxic pesticides buried in Central Asia". The Third Pole. Retrieved 2021-08-12.
  7. ^ "Satellites map huge methane plumes from oil and gas". BBC News. 2022-02-04. Retrieved 2022-02-04.
  8. ^ "Turkmenistan expands international cooperation in environmental protection". AzerNews.az. 2020-03-01. Retrieved 2021-08-12.
  9. ^ "OSCE promotes environmental awareness in Turkmenistan". www.osce.org. Retrieved 2021-08-12.

External links[]


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