Making a Fake Lake

We’ve heard of people creating artificial ponds in their backyards. But an artificial lake?

Turkmenistan is trying to do just that in the middle of its barren Karakum desert. Siphoning water from irrigation canals, the country’s plan is to turn a natural depression into a 770 square mile lake. Planners hope that the “Golden Age Lake” will alleviate water shortages and transform the arid region into a thriving oasis.

Critics say the plan is overly ambitious, citing the example of the Aral Sea, which shrunk by 90 percent after the Soviet Union artificially diverted the rivers that feed it.

BBC News: Turkmenistan To Create Desert Sea

(Photo by lyzadanger via Flickr/Creative Commons)