It seems that our planet is close to the vast man-made drought. The reasons are climate change  as an anthropogenic impact, as well as hyper extraction of water for industrial and irrigation purposes. Saline lakes are extremely sensitive to both effects. The result is worldwide decline of saline lakes.

The new research from Peking University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences show that the total lake surface area on the Mongolian Plateau had declined from 4,160 square kilometers (1,060 square miles) in the late 1980s to 2,900 square kilometers in 2010, a decrease of 30 percent. The authors attribute the losses to warming temperatures, decreased precipitation, and increased mining and agricultural activity.

Shrinking Lakes on the Mongolian Plateau. Acquired August 30, 2001 – August 20, 2006. http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=85665