The Devil and the Disappearing Sea: A True Story About the Aral Sea Catastrophe

Jaroslaw Zurowsky is a translator and editor in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Western world is
faced with having to come to grips with the various new governing bodies
that have emerged in the former Soviet Republics, especially those from
Central Asia. The Western world is also coming face to face with some of
the great experiments of Soviet planning. One such experiment is the
Aral Sea irrigation program that resulted in what some in the Western
world see as a gigantic environmental disaster.

Rob Ferguson has written an account of his experiences as part of an
international team in trying to save the Aral Sea. In addition to
learning about the Aral Sea irrigation projects, the reader learns about
the “characters” who hold power in Central Asia and who wanted to
prevent publication of this book because it would expose their
activities to Western readers and authorities. Ferguson shows how the
power struggles between various factions ultimately end up hurting the
common peasant and fishers without solving the water shortage or
environmental problems.

Readers of this well-written book will learn not just about the Aral
Sea, past and present, but also about post-Soviet politics, culture, and
peoples.