Which of the following has/have shrunk immensely/dried up in the recent past due to human activities?

Aral Sea

Black Sea

Lake Baikal

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Question

Which of the following has/have shrunk immensely/dried up in the recent past due to human activities? Aral Sea Black Sea Lake Baikal Select the correct answer using the code given below:

Accepted Answer

1 only Quick Verdict: The Aral Sea is considered one of the planet's worst environmental disasters, having lost the vast majority of its volume due to human-engineered water diversion. The Black Sea and Lake Baikal have not dried up. [caption id="attachment_1992" align="aligncenter" width="401"] Rusty ships and boats in the desert at the bottom of the dried up Aral Sea in Uzbekistan. [/caption] Thematic Discussion: The Aral Sea Ecological Disaster The inspiration for this UPSC question can be traced directly to a report titled “Aral Sea region in ecological tailspin,” published in the Sunday Magazine of The Hindu on 1st October 2017. The Aral Sea (Statement 1 - Correct): Located between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, the Aral Sea was once the fourth-largest lake in the world. According to the report, it has lost roughly 75% to 90% of its original size since the 1960s. The Human Cause: This was not caused by natural climate shifts, but by ill-conceived Soviet-era irrigation schemes. The two major rivers feeding the sea—the Amu Darya and the Syr Darya—were heavily re-routed to transform the arid regional deserts into cotton monoculture farms. The Impact: This massive water diversion dropped the water level from a depth of 68 meters in the 1960s to less than 10 meters, completely destroying what used to be a thriving regional fishing industry and leaving behind a toxic desert. Why the others are incorrect: Black Sea (Statement 2): A massive marginal Mediterranean sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean. While it faces severe pollution issues, it is not shrinking or drying up. Lake Baikal (Statement 3): Located in Siberia, Russia, it is the world's deepest and most voluminous freshwater lake. While it faces modern ecological threats from industrial runoff and climate change, it has absolutely not dried up.   Mains Concept Builder: The Socio-Economic Domino Effect The drying of the Aral Sea is a prime case study for GS Paper 3 (Environment/EIA). The disaster did not stop at water loss. As the sea dried, it left behind vast plains covered in salt and toxic agricultural chemicals. Windstorms now pick up these toxic dust particles and spread them across the region, causing severe respiratory illnesses, crop failures in surrounding areas, and the complete collapse of the local Uzbek fishing economy. 📝 Mains Practice Question (GS Paper 3 - Environment): Assess the ecological and socio-economic consequences of large-scale, unplanned water diversion projects, taking the drying of the Aral Sea as a case study. (150 words, 10 marks)