Kazakhstan has put forward a new initiative to establish an International Day of the Aral Sea, aiming to raise global awareness about one of the world’s most pressing environmental challenges.

The proposal was discussed at a board meeting of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea held in Astana. Deputy prime ministers from across Central Asia took part in the session, highlighting the regional importance of the issue, The Caspian Post reports via Kazakh media.

The initiative was introduced by Deputy Chairman of the Executive Committee of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea Serik Bekmaganbetov, who suggested designating March 26 as the International Day of the Aral Sea, along with the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers.

“This is very symbolic: first, the fund marks its 33rd anniversary this month; second, March is rich in dates related to water resources - during this period, International Water Day, International Glacier Day, as well as days dedicated to rivers such as the Danube and the Volga are celebrated. Therefore, if such a decision is made 33 years after the fund’s establishment, it will be historic,” said Bekmaganbetov.

The idea had been raised previously but was sent for further refinement. Now, the fund hopes its board members - deputy prime ministers of regional countries - will soon reach a final agreement.

The Aral Sea, once one of the largest lakes in the world, has become a symbol of environmental degradation after decades of shrinking due to water diversion.

In recent years, Kazakhstan has worked with neighboring countries to support the recovery of the Aral Sea. Efforts include large-scale environmental projects such as planting saxaul forests on the dried seabed to stabilize the ecosystem.

The president has set a task to carry out forest-reclamation work on the dried seabed of the Aral Sea by 2025 over a total area of 1.1 million hectares through the creation of saxaul plantations, to improve the ecological situation.