The
North Aral Sea (, ) is the portion of the former
Aral Sea that is fed by the
Syr Darya River. It split from the
South Aral Sea in 1986 as water levels dropped due to river diversion for agriculture. The poorly built
Dike Kokaral intended to contain the North Aral Sea and save its fisheries failed twice, but in 2005 the government of
Kazakhstan was able to fund a more robust design. Since then, water levels have risen faster than expected and fish stocks have increased. Plans to build a second dike to increase water levels further were due to begin in 2010.