Why was the irrigation of Soviet cotton farming operations a problem? Why was the irrigation of Soviet cotton farming operations a problem? There was governmental opposition that limited water access, killing crops. It was, for the most part, not a problem. It drained the Aral Sea and increased the salt content of soils. Irrigation water came from rivers feeding into one of the largest lakes on Earth and resulted in major contamination of that source. It angered local resort communities, which did not want farming in the region.