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The Aral Sea: A shrinking regional resource
Over the past 30 years, the Aral Sea in the former Soviet Union has shrunk to less than half of its original size.

The reduction in the quantity and quality of water in the Aral Sea basin, and the resulting spread of toxic dusts, has caused an ecological and socio-economical disaster in the region (Pidwirny, 1999).
   
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