Vakhsh River
2476103
217564684
2008-06-06T16:33:23Z
Thijs!bot
1392310
robot Adding: [[sv:Vachsj]]
{{Infobox River
| river_name = Vakhsh River
| image_name = Vakhsh.JPG
| caption = The Vakhsh River (highlighted in blue)
| origin =
| mouth = [[Amu Darya]]
| basin_countries = [[Kyrgyzstan]], [[Tajikistan]]
| length = 524 km (325 miles)
| elevation =
| mouth_elevation =
| discharge = 536 m³/s (18,760 cubic feet/s)
| watershed = 31,200 km² (12,480 square miles)
}}
The '''Vakhsh River''', also known as the '''Surkhob''' (in north-central [[Tajikistan]]) and the '''Kyzyl-Suu''' (in [[Kyrgyzstan]]) is a [[Central Asia]]n river, and one of the main rivers of the nation of Tajikistan. It is a [[tributary]] of the [[Amu Darya]] river.
==Geography==
The river's source lies in Kyrgyzstan; it then flows through Tajikistan for a length of 524 km (325 miles) before joining the [[Panj River]] to form the Amu Darya at the border of Tajikistan and [[Afghanistan]]. The average annual discharge of the Vakhsh is 16.9 km³, derived from an average discharge of 536 m³/s.{{Fact|date=February 2007}} The river, which is fed mostly by melting [[glacier]]s, achieves maximum flow during the summer months of July and August. The river flows through very mountainous territory, which frequently restricts the river's flow to narrow channels within deep gorges. Within Tajikistan, the river's catchment area is 31,200 square kilometers. The largest tributaries of the Vakhsh are the Muksu and the Obihingou.
==Dams==
The [[hydroelectricity|hydroelectric power]] potential of the Vakhsh River has been thoroughly exploited by the [[Soviet Union]] and its successor Tajikistan. There are currently five completed hydroelectric [[dam]]s along the Vakhsh within Tajikistan, including the world's tallest completed dam, the [[Nurek Dam|Nurek]].<ref>{{cite web | title = Highest Dams (World and U.S.) | publisher = 1998 ICOLD World Register of Dams | date = | url = http://npdp.stanford.edu/damhigh.html | format = chart | accessdate = 2007-08-11 }}</ref> The five dams supply 90% of the country's [[electric power]] generation capacity. In addition, another four dams are planned or under construction, including the [[Rogun Dam]], which will supersede the Nurek as tallest in the world once it is completed. The existing dams along the Vakhsh make Tajikistan the highest hydroelectric power producer ''[[per capita]]'' in the world.
==Blockages==
The Vakhsh is subject to blockage by [[landslide]]s caused by [[earthquake]]s in the seismically active region. Such landslides pose a significant threat to the river's dams and hydroelectric power generation. In response to an earthquake-caused landslide in 2002, Tajikistan was granted a low-interest loan from the [[Asian Development Bank]] to mitigate the potential impact of the landslide.
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{refbegin}}
*[http://www.adb.org/Documents/News/2002/nr2002148.asp "US $5.3 Million to Tajikistan for Emergency Landslide Stabilization Measures"] (September 10, 2002). [[Asian Development Bank]]: press release no. 148/02.
*[http://www.unece.org/env/epr/studies/Tajikistan/chapter08.pdf "Chapter 8: Water Resources Management"]. ''Environmental Performance Reviews: Tajikistan''. [[United Nations Economic Commission for Europe]]. [[United Nations]]: New York and Geneva: 2004.
*[http://countrystudies.us/tajikistan/14.htm "Tajikistan - Topography and Drainage"]. U.S. [[Department of the Army]]. Published by the Federal Research Division of the [[Library of Congress]]. Online version retrieved August 17, 2005.
{{refend}}
==External links==
*[http://enrin.grida.no/htmls/tadjik/vitalgraphics/eng/html/u27.htm Partial map of the Vakhsh with locations of the river's nine dams]
*[http://enrin.grida.no/htmls/tadjik/vitalgraphics/eng/html/u11.htm Map of major river drainage basins within Tajikistan]
*[http://enrin.grida.no/htmls/tadjik/vitalgraphics/eng/html/uyazv.htm Index of maps and graphs related to Tajikistan water resources]
[[Category:Rivers of Kyrgyzstan]]
[[Category:Rivers of Tajikistan]]
[[cs:Vachš]]
[[de:Wachsch]]
[[lt:Vachšas]]
[[nl:Vachsj]]
[[pl:Wachsz (rzeka)]]
[[ru:Вахш (река)]]
[[sv:Vachsj]]