A receding body of water leaves behind a ghost town of what it used to be： abandoned fishing vessels， miles of dried seabeds， and an accumulation of thick dust in the air. It is hard to imagine that just a couple decades ago， this empty region was thriving with sea life and people working side by side in prosperous fishing business. How did things change so drastically in such a short amount of time？ The answer is water， or lack thereof. The universal saying， “Water is essential to life，” holds an invaluable truth to one of the most tragic ecological downfalls in the world： the shrinking of the Aral Sea. The Aral Sea lies in Central Asia， bordered by Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Despite its name， the Aral Sea is actually a lake. At its peak， an area of 68，000 km2 made the Aral Sea one of the four largest lakes in the world. The large body of water maintained rich， thriving ecosystems and was a notable source for fresh fish. The livelihood of the lake started to change when humans intervention took control of the fate of the Aral Sea. The abundance of native fish species slowly died out and disappeared in the waters. Today， it is a dried up lake with an abnormally high salinity level， filled with contamination. Not only has the area of the Aral Sea receded to less than one-tenth of its original size， its internal changes over the years have caused substantial ecological， environmental， and societal complications.The shrinking of the lake began in the 1960s when the Soviet Union government ventured into growing cash crops， such as cotton and rice， to gain some profit from agriculture. The surrounding areas near Central Asia were mainly arid land that did not support agricultural growth. In addition， plants like cotton trees required a great amount of water to sustain life. The Soviet government’s solution was to implement a series of irrigation canals that diverted water from the Aral Sea to the cotton plantations. The original project sought to make profit from cotton and other cash crops； however， not much consideration was given to the Aral Sea as it began to shrink and diminish. Over the years， the Aral Sea receded so much in various regions that it eventually divided into separate entities of water. Shocking satellite pictures show just how much the lake has shrunk since the start of the irrigation projects and the severity of its progression. When the waters of the Aral Sea were still rich and plentiful， the locals near the shores had built a successful commercial fishing industry -- a deeply rooted social-economic way of life. Fish supported the local people， giving them food and a valuable trades item. There were thousands of jobs surrounding the fishing industry， bringing prosperity to the lives of the people. The people in the nearby regions depended on the health of the lake to bring fresh fish to maintain economic stability. When the fishing business was in full bloom， the people’s life quality also peaked. However， when the Aral Sea started showing signs of trouble in its waters， the life quality of the people was affected. Without fresh water and abundant catches from the sea， the fishing industry gradually collapsed.The agricultural projects continued to take enormous amounts of water from the Aral Sea and started a chain of misfortunate ecological and social events. Not only was water being emptied out of the Aral Sea， but chemical wastes from pesticides， herbicides， and chemicals used in farming projects were washed back into the lake. This caused an imbalance to the Aral Sea’s normal water PH level. The salinity of the water got worse over time. As a result， living species in the waters were affected. The native fish species slowly started to vanish as water quality worsened. Without fresh fish to fuel the fishing businesses， the fishing industry near the Aral Sea completely collapsed when most of the fish vanished in the early 1980s. At the same time， the native people suffered since fishing had been their source of stability and prosperity.After the Aral Sea’s water receded， the areas that used to be filled with fresh lake water became arid desert lands. It was impossible for agriculture near the Aral Sea because the soil was too contaminated. The climate also changed drastically， bringing warmer summers and cooler winters. The local people faced serious health concerns because the water was no longer safe to use due to high salt concentration. In addition， the air was dusty and dry， polluted by the chemicals from the plantation and the contaminated， arid soil. The life quality of the people deteriorated as they endured hardships from the changes. The wealth and prosperity that revolved around the fishing industry disappeared and left the people in difficult circumstances. The story of Aral Sea is a tragedy where one unfortunate event affected the next， like a domino effect.The case of the Aral Sea shows how important clean water is in maintaining a health ecosystem. Not only was water vital for the health of the lake and the living organisms and species thriving within it， but an entire group of people depended on fresh water also. The Aral Sea is just one of the many global water crises that has occurred due to human activities that exploited a natural resource. It shows how sensitive and fragile our environment is. Any changes or imbalance in an ecosystem can cause a chain of irreparable effects.Is there hope in restoring the Aral Sea？ Replenishing the dried lake takes effort. The Aral Sea may be slowly recovering on its own， but humans have to learn to preserve it better and take steps to undo the damages. Scientists have reported that the water level has been increasing in the recent years. Some fish and fishermen have returned as a result of the lake’s water growth. Commercial fishing is revived at the Aral Sea， but its propensity is nowhere close to the prosperous fishing businesses in the olden days. Although there are signs that the Aral Sea is on track to recovery， it is still a slow process. One thing is for sure -- many portions of the original lake may never be fully recovered.An eye-opening lesson can be taken from the story of the Aral Sea. Natural resources are valuable asset that people should use with humility and integrity. Humans should not view natural resources with agendas of self-interest and short-term profit. These actions will only severe the cycle of the destruction of nature， and consequently， the suffering of humanity. This is an environmental problem that is not only self-evident in the story of the Aral Sea， but in other shared commons as well. People do not think about the long-term consequences of their actions， but only view a natural resource as a means of profit that should be extrapolated all at once. Disregarding the sensitivity and fragility of our environment leads to huge consequences that may be irreversible and creates even more disasters. The story of the Aral Sea is a humbling lesson for humans -- to not overstep the boundaries of nature for shortsighted visions.