The shrinking Aral Sea, once one of the largest lakes in the world, stands as a stark reminder of ecological disaster caused by human mismanagement. Located on the borders of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Afghanistan, the sea has been steadily drying up due to the diversion of its water sources for irrigation in the arid region. Now, a new irrigation project undertaken by the Taliban government in Afghanistan threatens to further disrupt the delicate ecological and economic balance of the region, raising concerns about the future of one of its main water sources.