Lakes are disappearing from the world. The Aral Sea in Central Asia is the fourth largest in the worldIt was a lake, though,1960Due to large-scale irrigation projects undertaken since the 1950s, the area has shrunk to about one-tenth its current size. At the same time, the dried lake bed has gradually turned into a desert, which has come to be known as the Aralkum Desert.

Similar problems have been seen in many parts of the world. In Mali, Lake Faghibine has disappeared, leaving only desert. In addition, the decrease in the volume of water in Lake Chad will bring conflict and environmental destruction to neighboring countries. The Dead Sea, Lake Umuria in Iran, and Lake Cachet in Chile are also feared to disappear in the future.

With COP26 approaching, this may be the last chance to take action to protect the world's lakes.

Learn more about the water crisis in Central Asia → "Water Crisis in Central Asia: Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan"

Learn more about water conflicts around the world → "Water Conflicts Around the World: Unreported Facts "