DRAINAGE BASIN of the ARAL SEA and OTHER TRANSBOUNDARY SURFACE WATERS in CENTRAL ASIA Chapter 3
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68 DRAINAGE BASIN OF THE ARAL SEA AND OTHER TRANSBOUNDARY SURFACE WATERS IN CENTRAL ASIA Chapter 3 ARAL SEA AND OTHER WATERS IN CENTRAL ASIA 69 71 AMU DARYA RIVER BASIN 75 ZERAVSHAN RIVER BASIN 76 SYR DARYA RIVER BASIN 83 ARAL SEA 84 CHU-TALAS RIVER BASINS 89 ILI RIVER BASIN 91 LAKE BALQASH 91 MURGAB RIVER BASIN 91 TEJEN RIVER BASIN Chapter 3 70 ARAL SEA AND OTHER WATERS IN CENTRAL ASIA This chapter deals with major transboundary rivers in Central Asia which have a desert sink, or discharge either into one of the rivers (or their tributaries) or the Aral Sea or an another enclosed lake. It also includes lakes located within the basin of the Aral Sea. Practically all of the renewable water resources in this area are used predominantly for irrigation, and the national economies are developing under conditions of increasing freshwater shortages. TRANSBOUNDARY WATERS IN THE BASIN OF THE ARAL SEA AND OTHER TRANSBOUNDARY SURFACE WATERS IN CENTRAL ASIA1 Basin/sub-basin(s) Total area (km²) Recipient Riparian countries Lakes in the basin Amu Darya …2 Aral Sea AF, KG, TJ, UZ, TM - Surkhan Darya 13,500 Amu Darya TJ, UZ - Kafirnigan 11,590 Amu Darya TJ, UZ - Pyanj 113,500 Amu Darya AF, TJ -- Bartang … Pyanj AF, TJ -- Pamir … Pyanj AF, TJ - Vakhsh 39,100 Amu Darya KG, TJ Aral Sea Zeravshan …2 Desert sink TJ, UZ Syr Darya …2 Aral Sea KZ, KG, TJ, UZ - Naryn … Syr Darya KG, UZ - Kara Darya 28,630 Syr Darya KG, UZ - Chirchik 14,240 Syr Darya KZ, KG, UZ -Chatkal 7,110 Chirchik KG, UZ Chu 62,500 Desert sink KZ, KG Talas 52,700 Desert sink KZ, KG Assa … Desert sink KZ, KG Ili 413,000 Lake Balqash CN, KZ Lake Balqash Murgab 46,880 Desert sink AF, TM - Abikajsar … Murgab AF, TM Tejen 70,260 Desert sink AF, IR, TM 1 The assessment of water bodies in italics was not included in the present publication. 2 The basin area is difficult to determine, see the assessment below. Chapter 3 ARAL SEA AND OTHER WATERS IN CENTRAL ASIA 71 AMU DARYA RIVER BASIN1 Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan share the basin of the Amu Darya River. While some literature sources quote a basin area of up to 534,700 km2, the water divide can only be correctly established in the mountainous part of the basin; therefore many hydrologists refrain from giving figures for the total basin area. A N 40o S T Y Z R G K Y Suu yzyl Samarqand K U Zeravshan Z Lake Karakul B C E TAJIKISTAN Dushanbe H K M urghab I I Nurek g a n Lake y Reservoir a N S r t Sarez ar A a B k n s D A T a u n g a i h n A k r i h r f u s a ir S h m N K a k P a V arya mu Da j akhan D A rya anj an V Py Py A N 75o S T Kilometres AFGHANISTAN K I The boundaries and names shown and the designations used on this map A 0 50 100 150 do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the United Nations. 70o P UNEP/DEWA/GRID-Europe 2007 Hydrology The confluence of the two transboundary rivers, the ervoir, 10.5 billion m3); therefore, floods often Pyanj and the Vakhsh (see the separate assessment be- occur between the rivers’ confluence and the low), is taken as the beginning of the Amu Darya. Tyuyamuyunsk reservoir on the Amu Darya (7,270 million m3). Downstream of this reservoir, Of these two, only the Vakhsh is regulated (Nurek res- the Amu Darya is fully regulated. Discharge characteristics of the Amu Darya River upstream of the Karakum Canal 3 Qav 1,970 m /s Average for: 1959–2005 Mean monthly values: October – 1,740 m3/s November – 957 m3/s December – 898 m3/s January – 816 m3/s February – 820 m3/s March – 979 m3/s April – 1,670 m3/s May – 2,670 m3/s June – 3,800 m3/s July – 4,500 m3/s August – 3,470 m3/s September – 1,950m3/s Source: Hydrometeorological Service of Uzbekistan. 1 Based on information provided by the State Agency for Environment Protection and Forestry of Kyrgyzstan, the Ministry of Agriculture and Nature Protec- tion of Tajikistan, the Ministry of Nature Protection of Turkmenistan and the State Committee for Nature Protection of Uzbekistan. Chapter 3 72 ARAL SEA AND OTHER WATERS IN CENTRAL ASIA Like other rivers in Central Asia, the Amu Darya is subject Pressure factors, transboundary impact and trends to strong hydraulic processes (e.g. deformation of the river The pressures, transboundary impact and trends for the bed, meandering, bank erosion). transboundary rivers in the Amu Darya River basin are described in the following sections. In general, the joint In addition to the Pyanj and the Vakhsh, a number of other sustainable use and protection of water resources of transboundary waters are located in the Amu Darya basin, these transboundary rivers is a particular challenge for including the Pamir, Kafirnigan, Surkhan Darya and Zer- this region. avshan rivers (assessed separately below). SURKHAN DARYA RIVER2 The Surkhan Darya is a transboundary tributary to the Amu Darya and has its source in Tajikistan. The catchment area is 13,500 km2; the major part of this area is located in Uzbekistan. Hydrology The natural flow of the river is heavily disturbed by water part, the inflow into the Jujnosurkhansk reservoir (Uzbeki- management activities in the catchment area. Whereas stan) is only 74.2 m3/s (see the following table). some 120 m3/s are estimated to originate in the mountain Discharge characteristics of the Surkhan Darya (Uzbekistan) (Inflow into the reservoir; summary values for the Shurchi gauging stations on the Surkhan Darya and the gauging station at the river mouth) 3 Qav 74.2 m /s Average for 1970–2005 Mean monthly values: October – 25.3 m3/s November – 34.4 m3/s December – 42.01 m3/s January – 45.3 m3/s February – 47.6 m3/s March – 72.8 m3/s April – 157 m3/s May – 196 m3/s June – 166 m3/s July – 72.3 m3/s August – 17.2 m3/s September – 15.3 m3/s Source: Hydrometeorological Service of Uzbekistan. KAFIRNIGAN RIVER3 The common border between Tajikistan and Uzbekistan is formed by the Kafirnigan River and it is of some 30 km. Most of the Kafirnigan’s catchment area of 11,590 km2 belongs to Tajikistan. Hydrology The average discharge is on the order of 170 m3/s. As a As a consequence of heavy rainfall, mudflow has rule, the maximum discharge occurs in May (Tartki gaug- a considerable impact on the ecological regime ing station, located some 50 km upstream of the river and the safe operation of hydrotechnical mouth, upstream catchment area some 9,780 km2). installations. 2 Source: Environmental Performance Review of Tajikistan, UNECE, 2004. 3 Source: Environmental Performance Review of Tajikistan, UNECE, 2004. Chapter 3 ARAL SEA AND OTHER WATERS IN CENTRAL ASIA 73 Discharge characteristics of the Kafirnigan at Tartki (Tajikistan) 3 Qav 169 m /s Average for 1929–2005 Mean monthly values: October – 60.0 m3/s November – 62.9 m3/s December – 63.1 m3/s January – 59.6 m3/s February – 62.2 m3/s March – 187 m3/s April – 295 m3/s May – 405 m3/s June – 389 m3/s July – 270 m3/s August – 129 m3/s September – 70.1 m3/s Source: Hydrometeorological Service of Uzbekistan. PYANJ RIVER4 Afghanistan and Tajikistan share the catchment area of the Pyanj River, located in the Amu Darya River basin, as shown in the following table. Of the Pyanj’s total catchment area, 107,000 km2 are in the mountains and the rest (6,500 km2) in the lowland part of the catchment area. Sub-basin of the Pyanj River Area Country Country’s share Afghanistan 47,670 km2 42% 113,500 km2 Tajikistan 65,830 km2 58% Source: Hydrometeorological Service of Uzbekistan. Hydrology The Pyanj and Pamir rivers form the bor- der between Afghanistan and Tajikistan. Usually the confluence of the rivers Vakhan Darya (Afghanistan) and Pamir (forming the border between Afghanistan and Tajikistan) is considered as the beginning of the River Pyanj. However, hydrologists consider the source of the Vakhan Darya in Afghanistan as the beginning of the River Pyanj, as the Vakhan Darya is the “natural prolongation” of the Pyanj towards the east. The total length of the Vakhan Darya/Py- anj is 1,137 km; from the confluence of the Vakhan Darya and Pamir, the river is 921 km long. The lake percentage is 0.42%, based on data for 1987. 4 Based on information provided by the Hydrometeorological Service of Uzbekistan. Chapter 3 74 ARAL SEA AND OTHER WATERS IN CENTRAL ASIA Discharge characteristics of the Pyanj River at Nijniy Pyanj (Tajikistan), 35 km upstream of the confluence with the Vakhsh River 3 Qav 1,012 m /s Average for 1965–1992 Mean monthly values: October – 643 m3/s November – 516 m3/s December – 445 m3/s January – 389 m3/s February – 406 m3/s March – 503 m3/s April – 828 m3/s May – 1,290 m3/s June – 2,000 m3/s July – 2,300 m3/s August – 1,960 m3/s September – 1,050 m3/s Source: Hydrometeorological Service of Uzbekistan. Downstream of the confluence of the Vakhan Darya and the Syr Darya basins, the Pyanj catchment area has the follow- Pamir, a number of tributaries join the Pyanj, such as the ing relevant specific features: The Sarez Lake (16.1 km3), Gunt, the Bartang, the Jasgulem, the Vanj and the Kyzylsu formed by an earthquake in the upper part of the Bartang (right-hand-side tributaries), and the Koktsha (a left-hand- River, is a potential threat to the population (some 5 million side tributary which flows exclusively through Afghanistan).