Drying Lakes: A Review on The Health Conditions and Restoration Strategies

Sammanfattning: Great salt lakes around the world are drying at a rapid rate. The drying salt lakes gives rise to several health and socio-economic concerns for the population in the surrounding region. The respective governments undertook various measures to address the concerns relating to the drying of salt lakes. This research aims to assess the strategies towards increasing the water level of saltwater lakes in the case of Lake Urmia and the Aral Sea. Additionally to investigate the health impacts of the decreased water level on the surrounding population in the case of the Aral Sea. A comprehensive case study was conducted on the publications relating to the assessment of health conditions and restoration strategies implemented towards the Aral Sea and Lake Urmia. Research publications and official reports in English and Russian Languages were considered for this research. Based on the studies, it was found that the drying of lakes might not be the cause for the health disorders in the Aral region. The restoration strateregy of the salt lakes was found to be a viable option only if sustenance of the restored lake can be promised.