The Town of the XXI Century
Series of reports on ecological situation in Central Asia

THE BORROWED PLANET

SOUR WATER-MELONS

This is how we decided to entitle a small chapter, in which people living in the regions more or less affected by the expansion of deserts, are telling about how the degradation of the nature influences their lives.

Fischer Ivan Edmundovich, chairperson of the local Committee on land relations and land improvement (Shortandy village, Akmola region):

Wind and water erosion has led to degradation of the soils and to the decrease of fertility. While the "virgin" lands were developed, soil properties and geomorphologic particularities were not taken into account and standardized 2X2 km fields were cut. As a result of accumulation of snow, every spring melting waters move away the fertile upper layer of the soil. Total ploughing up near rivers and ravines also stimulates erosion. The region also suffers from problems related to the lack of fresh water. Collective farm named after Saken Seifullin has to drive in the necessary water resources. Soils were seriously damaged by the use of herbicides 2.4 "D".

Shevchenko Alexei Alexeevich, the head of the local department of ecology and biological resources (Shortandy village): "It is necessary to combine turnover plough and flat cut processing of the land. The latter one stimulates the development of various diseases of the plants and speeds up rotting of the roots. Turnover plough helps to effectively fight the diseases."

Semenov Alexandr Matveevich, teacher (Shortandy village):

"I have two children, the younger child is 10 years old, the older one is 15. We live using products grown at our own farm: we have some crop land, cows, pigs and birds. In the region the process of expansion of deserts is reflected in the increased square of salted lands, destruction of plants in the forests and among the water sources.

Zachepilo Mikhail Mikhailovich, pensioner, participant of World War II (Shortandy village):

"Birch forests were destroyed when the "virgin" lands were ploughed up. Now the unique steppe lakes, which are not supplied with melting waters are drying out and covering with silt. Pants, which were growing on the shores of the lakes, were destroyed by cattle, water birds and their nesting places were also destroyed. Kopyrkol, Erkygyz, Shoshaly, Balyktykol, Dalakol, Esenbakty lakes have dried out.

Nurtazina K (Bakanas village, Almaty region):

"After swimming in Ili river many people suffer from ulcers appearing on their bodies. Allergic diseases are also very common."

Ordabaev T (Bakanas village):

"Melons and water melons growing on the fields are not sweet. Inside water-melons there are multiple hard white spots, their taste is salty".

The "National programs of actions aimed at fighting the expansion of deserts" contains a chapter, which is called "The strategy of actions against the expansion of deserts". This is a wide program of actions for a large number of people, including government officials and peasants, who know about the expansion from their everyday experiences. It also outlines the activities for lawyers, scientists, economists and financial specialists.

Here is a short paragraph dealing with forests, or, with the so officially called forest resources.

"The total square of forests growing in the Republic is 24,6 million hectares, out of which 10,5 million are represented by lands covered with forests. The share of desert forests is 63%, mountain forests - 21%, and the steppe and river valley forests account for 16%.

Intensive development of natural resources has speeded up the process of expansion of deserts, which is taking place in the forests. Non-systemic cutting of trees, plough of the lands covered by forests, forest fires have also significantly damaged the forests. Within last 30 years the square of forests only in Kyzyl-Orda region has decreased by more than 100 thousand hectares, the remaining parts of the forests are characterized by lower levels of growth and expansion. Irrational activities of the people have seriously damaged wild fruit forests, their square has been decreased by one third.

Genetic assessments and development of genetic databases of the unique types of trees are carried out to ensure stable preservation and rational exploitation of the biological diversity. The plans also provide for expansion of the network of natural forest reserves, national parks, genetic reserves, which are typical for any local typological complex.

Significant damage to forests is caused by forest fires. During dry years they destroy up to several hundred and even thousand hectares of forests. That is why the plans provide for improvements of the forest protection services, construction of the new fire towers, 100% increase in the number of the forest security staff and complete equipment of the forest security service by modern communication devices, fire extinguishing equipment and vehicles.

Mainly selective and gradual cutting of the mountainous and river valley forests of the Irtish region is recommended…"

The dots are put here to symbolize that the outlined actions do not limit the activities, which can be undertaken to preserve the environment.

The same can be said about preservation of water, soil, wild animals, pastures and grass lands and everything else, which surrounds people in their everyday lives, and which, in the end, represents the life itself.

By the way, in the autumn of 1998 scientists representing Kazakh scientific research institute of environmental and climatic monitoring visited the Aral Sea region. They are often visitors in the region and every time they go they bring back stories filled with new colors, which unfortunately, can hardly be called bright. This is understandable. The representatives of the scientific research institute witnessed the death of the Aral Sea. They saw how playing sea waves gradually turned into laying salt, which is carried away by winds for many kilometers. They saw ships, which were forever caught into sand traps. They saw abandoned villages of fishers. Understandably, such pictures put significant pressure on the hearts of the scientists.

But this year the scientists saw how the desert has changed. In those regions, where winds were building sand hills and where there were no animals and even no snakes or lizards, now there are plants. The reason for the change is quite simple, specialists of the forestry department from the city of Shuchinsk are doing what people must do: they are planting trees in the deserts.