North Aral Sea levels further were due to begin in 2010. The Aral Sea began shrinking in the 1960s, when the Soviet Union decided that the two rivers feeding it, the Amu Darya and the Syr Darya, would be diverted to irrigate cotton and food crops in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. In 1986, due to an accelerated loss of water, the Aral Sea split into northern and southern parts; the southern part is the current South Aral Sea. There is now an ongoing effort in Kazakhstan to save and replenish the North Aral Sea. As part of this effort, a dam project was completed
Rivers of New Zealand scenic rivers. Over half of the electricity generated in New Zealand is hydroelectric power. Hydroelectric power stations have been constructed on many rivers which dam the river completely, or channel a portion of the water through the power station. There is large hydroelectric power scheme in the North Island and in the South Island where water is diverted between rivers using a system of canals that is used to maximise the electricity generation. River conservation is threatened by pollution inflows from point and non-point sources. In the past rivers had been used for pollution discharges from factories and municipal sewerage