Community environmental health risks
assessing health risks related to drinking water contamination
The Aral Sea Crisis
Once the world’s fourth-largest inland water body, the Aral Sea is regarded as one of the world’s most significant ecological disasters. In the 1960s, the Soviet government began diverting the two rivers that feed the sea, the Amu Darya and the Syr Darya. Water was diverted from the rivers to irrigate the surrounding desert for agricultural purposes, primarily for the cultivation of cotton. As a result, the water level in the Aral Sea began to decrease drastically from the 1960s onward. It is now 10% of its original size, and the ecological crisis has created severe economic, social, and health impacts for millions of people.
Since 2022, TerraGraphics International Foundation (TIFO) has partnered with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and the Ministry of Health of Karakalpakstan (MOHK) to address environmental health concerns linked to the Aral Sea crisis. In spring 2023, TIFO led a significant environmental sampling effort to investigate contamination and its potential impact on public health.
Key Findings:
- Rising drinking water salinity in Karakalpakstan is exacerbating health risks and potentially altering the interactions of other pollutants in the environment.
- Persistent pesticides and chromium VI (the most toxic form of the metal chromium), although remnants of past activities, still pose real health hazards.
- Improved laboratory capacity, regular monitoring, and collaborative interventions are urgently needed.
★Elevated salinity is linked to cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, and kidney disorders.
★Pesticides like lindane, DDT, aldrin, and heptachlor pose neurotoxic, reproductive, liver, kidney, and carcinogenic risks—especially for children and pregnant individuals.
Project goals
In 2024, TIFO worked with MOHK to digitize and combine historic environmental monitoring data in the rayons (similar to a county in the U.S.) prioritized by MOHK. We also gathered first-person accounts related to the environment and the Aral Sea. MOHK chose to focus efforts on drinking water contamination and pursuing interventions in that area, especially for people in rural areas.
To support long-term analysis and identify trends in water contamination, TIFO scientists are analyzing five years of historic monitoring data. Combined with findings from the 2023 sampling effort, this analysis will guide advocacy for interventions, particularly in the area of water quality, a key concern for the Ministry of Health and a significant public health risk in Karakalpakstan.
Preliminary environmental
Assessment Report
Partners
