<P> By 1960 , between 20 and 60 km ( 4.8 and 14.4 cu mi ) of water each year was going to the land instead of the sea . Most of the sea 's water supply had been diverted , and in the 1960s , the Aral Sea began to shrink . From 1961 to 1970 , the Aral 's level fell at an average of 20 cm ( 7.9 in ) a year ; in the 1970s , the average rate nearly tripled to 50 -- 60 cm ( 20 -- 24 in ) per year , and by the 1980s , it continued to drop , now with a mean of 80 -- 90 cm ( 31 -- 35 in ) each year . The rate of water use for irrigation continued to increase ; the amount of water taken from the rivers doubled between 1960 and 2000 , and cotton production nearly doubled in the same period . </P>
<P> By 1960 , between 20 and 60 km ( 4.8 and 14.4 cu mi ) of water each year was going to the land instead of the sea . Most of the sea 's water supply had been diverted , and in the 1960s , the Aral Sea began to shrink . From 1961 to 1970 , the Aral 's level fell at an average of 20 cm ( 7.9 in ) a year ; in the 1970s , the average rate nearly tripled to 50 -- 60 cm ( 20 -- 24 in ) per year , and by the 1980s , it continued to drop , now with a mean of 80 -- 90 cm ( 31 -- 35 in ) each year . The rate of water use for irrigation continued to increase ; the amount of water taken from the rivers doubled between 1960 and 2000 , and cotton production nearly doubled in the same period . </P>
what caused the dramatic reduction to the aral sea in former soviet union
what caused the dramatic reduction to the aral sea in former soviet union
between 20 and 60 km ( 4.8 and 14.4 cu mi ) of water each year was going to the land instead of the sea
between 20 and 60 km ( 4.8 and 14.4 cu mi ) of water each year was going to the land instead of the sea