Amu Darya River Basin
From WaterWiki
| Region | Central Asia | edit |
 Kazakhstan |  Kyrgyzstan |  Tajikistan |  Turkmenistan |  Uzbekistan | SUB-REGIONS: Ferghana Valley part of Europe & CIS | EECCA --- neighboring: Afghanistan | Pakistan | Russia | China (Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region) | India | ||
| MAIN WATER BASINS (Map): Aral Sea Basin | Amu Darya River Basin | Syr Darya River Basin SUB-BASINS: Sarafhsan River Basin | Ferghana Valley | ||
| Key resources: Water Sector Review | CAREWIB | ADB - Donor Project Matrix on Central Asia | Report:Water, Climate, and Development Issues in the Amudarya Basin | Report: Irrigation in Central Asia: Social, Economic and Environmental Considerations | ||
| Selected external resources: [CAReWIB] | ADB - About the CA Region] | [] | | ||
The Amudarya is the biggest river in Central Asia. Its length from the effluents of Pyandzh river is 2540 km, catchment area is 309 thousands km2 (without taking into account the Zeravshan river catchment). It is called the Amudarya when the Pyandzh river interflows with the Vaksh river. Three large right tributaries (Kafirnigan, Surhandarya and Sherabad) and one left (Kunduz) flow into the Amudarya river within the middle reach. Further up to the Aral Sea it has not any tributary. It is fed largely by water from melted snow, thus maximum discharges are observed in summer and minimum ones in January-February. Such availability of the flow within a year is very favorable to use water of the river for irrigation. While passing the plain, from Kerky to Nukus Amudarya losses the most part of its flow in form of evaporation, infiltration and withdrawal for irrigation. Concerning sediment transport the Amudarya is the first among all rivers in Central Asia and in the top in the world. The main flow of the Amudarya river is originating on the territory of Tajikistan (about 72.8 % - without Zeravshan river). Then, the river flows along the border between Afghanistan and Uzbekistan, then it flows across Turkmenian territory and again it returns to Uzbekistan, where it discharges into the Aral Sea. About 14.6 % of Amudarya water is formed on the Afghan territory and in Iran. About 8.5% of the Amudarya flow is formed in Uzbekistan.
The main specifics of the Amudarya river basin is that the most territories with favorable natural and economic conditions for irrigated farming are located far from the main river and their available water sources are very limited. These are Karshi Steppe, Bukhara region, southern part of Turkmenistan. To provide water delivery for development of those territories there were constructed unique canal systems.
The delta zone of the Amudarya lies downstream from Nukus city. It constitutes a slightly sloping plain with many channels. The delta as such is formed by numerous arms (Taldyk, Kazakhdarya, etc.). Its area totals about 7,000 km2. Starting from the mid 1960s the surface flow of the Amudarya stopped reaching the Aral Sea in dry years. As a result of decreased water flow into the delta and retreat of the coastal line of the sea, about 50 water bodies (lakes) have dried up. However, in result of water saving policy during last 8 years, some water releases into a few lake systems as Kungrad, Sudocye, Mezhdurechye, Karadzhar, Togouztour, Daukempir, Kazahdarya, Dautkol and Atpetk, a total of 99,000 ha in the delta zone, have been gradually restored.
(Source: CAREWIB; Jul 2008)
Contents |
Characteristics
Long-term average data
Mean total annual water run-off
Water Management in the Amu Darya
Reservoir and Flow Regulation (Source: CAREWIB)
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More than 35 reservoirs were constructed in the Amudarya basin with a capacity of over 10 million m3 each. The aggregate capacity of these water reservoirs exceeds 29.8 km3. The Amudarya cascade of reservoirs operates according to specific scheme, allowing regulation by two main river channel reservoirs (Nurek and Tuyamuyun) and several on-system reservoirs on the Karakum, Karshi and Amu-Bukhara canals and small rivers. Total capacity of reservoirs on the main river is about 17 km3. The principle scheme of flow regulation regime along the Amudarya is as following. The Nurek water reservoir provides multi-year water storage for area up to Kerki gauging station. Water releases depend on run-off variations of the Pyandj, Kafirnigan, Surkhandarya and Kunduz rivers, and water demands of downstream area from Kerki. Tuyamuyun reservoir is operating with a seasonal regime. It catches over released water from the Nurek reservoir and some additional flow of the Amudarya. Releases from it start usually in February-March.
As level regime in the river is very important issue for providing of the required withdrawal to the main canals, their intakes schedule should be agreed with releases from the Nurek reservoir. Intake to the Karakum canal executes during low flow, and vs, to the Karshi and Amu-Bukhara – during high flow along the river. BWO is responsible for monitoring these processes in linkage with water storage in the Nurek and Tuyamuyun reservoirs.
On-system reservoirs are playing role of seasonal water storage (unconsumed autumn-winter flow). Some of them were constructed within the cascades of pumping stations: Talimardjan reservoir on the Karshi canal with a capacity of 1.5 km3, Tudakul and Kuyumazar reservoirs on the Amu-Bukhara canal. The same and also as sediment regulator – Hauskhan reservoir on the Karakum canal with capacity of 0.9 km3. A few water reservoirs were constructed on the small rivers. These are South Surkhan reservoir on the Surkhandarya river with total capacity of 800 million m3, reservoirs on the Tedjen and the Murgab rivers, and 14 small reservoirs in the Kashkadarya river basin with total capacity about 1.5 km3.
Upon commissioning, the future Ragun reservoir on the Vakhsh river may increase the degree of multi-year regulation of the Amudarya up to 0.86. Today it is about 0.76. At existing reservoir capacities, the guaranteed yield of water in low water years (90 percent probability) may reach up to 62 km3. However, in the past seven years, the irrigation-and-hydropower mode of operation for which the reservoirs were designed has sharply changed in favor of hydropower. In spite of the Nurek reservoir is currently operating in the hydropower mode the capacity of the Tuyamuyum reservoir is enough for compensation those changes in flow regime.
- Read more about
Water Levels and Flows
Nurek reservoir (Russian only)
River section Nurek - Tyuyamuyun (Russian only)
Tyuyamuyun reservoir (Russian only)
River section Tyuyamuyun - Samanbay (Russian only)
Direct data from external resources
- Water Demand
- The actual water use and prospective requirements within the Amudarya River Basin (million m3)
- (Source: CAREWIB)
- On-line data on water intake allowances in the Amudarya river basin for vegetation period 2008 (Apr - Sep'08), m3/sec
- (Source: CAREWIB)
- On-line data on water intake allowances in the Amudarya river basin for non-vegetation period 2007/2008 (Oct'07 - Mar'08), m3/sec
- (Source: CAREWIB)
