If a radical change in access to the rivers feeding the Aral Sea were to occur, this would create massive unemployment, food shortages, and the loss of valuable export crops. Conflicts would arise over "ownership" of the water. Glacial melt travels from the glaciers in the Himalaya Mountains to the Aral Sea, passing through several countries. Who "owns" the water? Is it the country where the glacier is located, the country through which the river runs, or the country where the water ends up?

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