Water

The pipes arrived one spring. They were laid in neat rows across the fields, silver and promising. For farmers across Khorezm and Karakalpakstan — two regions that have watched the Aral Sea disappear across their lifetimes, it felt like an answer to something that had been getting worse for decades. The idea made sense. Water was running out. New technology could save it. A farmer borrowed from the bank, signed the contract, and waited for the harvest that would cover the cost. For many, that harvest never came.