Why is Rahman missing 3 months of school?

1. Why is Rahman missing 3 months of school? Use the clues to answer the question.

2. Uzbekistan Where does Rahman live? Russia China Iran India

3. Why is Rahman missing 3 months of school? Sort your cards into these categories: About Rahman Uzbek Government Global connections Other info

4. Case Study: The Aral Sea

5. The Aral Sea Crisis Source: http://www.reec.nsw.edu.au/geo/water/imagewat/wa2cc.jpg

6. The Aral Sea Crisis Source: http://www.reec.nsw.edu.au/geo/water/imagewat/wa2cc.jpg

7. The Aral Sea Crisis Source: http://www.columbia.edu/~tmt2120/aral_sea_2006.jpg

8. The Aral Sea Crisis Source: http://geochristian.com/2009/05/

9. The Aral Sea Crisis How do you think this happened? Brainstorm three possible reasons with your group using your live document.

10. Why do you think the shorelines of the Aral Sea have receded 60-80 km? The Aral Sea Crisis This has happened because in the early 1960s, the two rivers that channelled water to the Aral Sea were diverted to irrigate areas of the surrounding desert to grow rice, melons, cereals and cotton.

11. Focus Questions The Aral Sea Crisis What two main rivers channel into the Aral Sea? What two countries does the Aral Sea border? Why was the water from the main two rivers diverted? What government was responsible for diverting the flow of the two main rivers?

12. Focus Questions The Aral Sea Crisis 5. What percentage of its original size is the Aral Sea now? 6. Is it likely that the Aral Sea will ever return to its original size? 7. What are some of the consequences of this crisis? (List at least four.) 8. What are some possible environmental solutions?

13. Answers to the Focus Questions • 1. The Amu and the Syr River • 2. Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan • 3. To irrigate areas of the surrounding dessert to grow rice, melons, cereals and cotton. • 4. The Soviet Union • 5. 10% • 6. No • 7. Loss of jobs (ie fishing industry), Health problems for the locals, Salinity and environmental problems – ecosystem virtually destroyed, lack of biodiversity (ie 20 native species of fish are now extinct). Climate affected. Dust storms. • 8. Improving the quality of irrigation canals, installing desalination plants, charging farmers to use the water from the rivers, using alternative cotton species that require less water, using fewer chemicals on the cotton, moving farming away from cotton, installing dams to fill the Aral Sea, redirecting water from the Volga, Ob and Irtysh Rivers to restore the Aral Sea to its former size in 20–30 years at a cost of US$30–50 billion, pumping sea water into the Aral Sea from the Caspian Sea via a pipeline, and diluting it with fresh water from local catchment areas