BBC: Aral Sea: Man-made environmental disaster

  

It took just 40 years for the Aral Sea to dry up. Fishing ports suddenly found themselves in a desert. But in one small part of the sea, water is returning. Latest satellite pictures reveal that 90% of the Aral Sea has dried up, forming a new desert between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan in Central Asia. It's a man-made environmental disaster. As part of the BBC's Richer World Season, Rustam Qobil visits the Aral Sea, a toxic desert sea bed, and talks to people who have lost their sea, health and loved ones.