The Amu Darya River is a water artery of five states

The Amu Darya River is the largest water flow in Central Asia. Its length is 1,415 kilometers, and the water intake basin is more than 309,000 square kilometers. It flows through the territory of five states: Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. The river is formed by Vakhsh and Pyanj in the confluence. The main runoff is formed in Tajikistan - 85% and Northern Afghanistan - 15%. The Amudarya flows into the Aral Sea, near which it forms a delta. The river has 3 large right tributaries: Sherabad, Kafirnigan and Surkhandarya. There is a small left tributary - Kunduz. The food of the river is made up of glacial and thawed waters. 80% of the water is regulated by 36 reservoirs with a volume of 24 billion cubic meters. The annual flow of the river is 73.6 km ³ . The maximum water flow is in summer, the minimum is in January and February.

Economic importance of the Amu Darya

This river is vital for the huge number of people inhabiting its basin. Its water is used for domestic needs, power generation, agriculture, for drinking purposes and industrial consumption. In the lower reaches of the river and floodplain lakes, fisheries are developed. In the area of the city of Turkmenabad, the Amu Darya River is navigable. Waters are for the most part dealt with by agriculture for irrigation of fields, since this activity is an important sector of the economies of all 5 countries - up to 35% of GDP. For example, in Afghanistan up to 80% of the population is employed in this area. Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan take up more than others for agriculture, up to 40%. The world's largest canal, the Karakum, is built on the Amu Darya, along which there are giant fields of wheat and cotton. Watermelons and melons are also grown in large quantities.

History

The river has been known since time immemorial. The ancient Greek historian Herodotus wrote that in the antiquity the Amu Darya left 40 mouths in the swamps and had 360 canals, but only one sleeve fell into the Caspian Sea. But modern scientists found that the water flow reached only Lake Sarykamysh. Thus, the information of the ancient chronicler was, most likely, based on oral traditions. The Amu Darya in ancient times bore many names. The Zoroastrians called it Vaksh, Arhara, Raha, or Ranha. The ancient Greeks called Araks. And in the days of the conquest of Alexander the Great, the river was called Oxos. On the banks of the Amu Darya were located the great states of antiquity: Khorezm, Bactria and Sogdiana. In the Middle Ages along the Amu Darya was a trade route from Rus to Bukhara. Peter I actively tried to draw the river into Russian trade. In those days, the Amu Darya River was surveyed. The map of that time is pretty accurate. Systematic studies of the river began only in the XX century. Then they began to observe the composition of the water.

Ecology

In the Amudarya in recent decades, the load has increased, which caused a sharp deterioration in the water composition. Also there was a balance violation. The Amu Darya River to date shows alarming parameters of mineralization and rigidity. For example, in 1940 the water hardness was 4.2 mg.eq / liter. In the 90th year - 9. And to date - 9.8 mg.eq / liter. The concentration of salts depends on the season. These indicators are caused by the massive discharge of economic and industrial waters into the river, also the surface runoff and emissions from the vessels of the river fleet are important. As the river flows through the territory of several states, the problems of its purification are complex efforts. To date, the governments of all five countries have drawn up plans and signed treaties.

Fishing

Fish is found in the lower reaches of the river and in the lakes of the Amu Darya basin. The main prey of fishermen are carp, salmon, asp, marinka and barbel. But in the upper reaches, too, is the fish - Osman, which replaces the trout on the river. These are the objects of the fishery, and there are more than a hundred different species in the waters of the Amu Darya. Marinka, barbel and Osman are quite unique living creatures that are found mainly in the Amu Darya. They have antennae, which they seek for prey in muddy water. Osman differs from barbel and marinoks in that its tail and sides are covered with small rare scales, the belly is absolutely naked, and there are also 2 additional antennae. Fishing in the Amu Darya lasts from May to October. You can catch it by spinning, donkeys and half-nuts.

Tourism

People like to come here like rafting. Both the Amudarya and the Syr Darya are attractive in this respect - there are several interesting places. The route starts several kilometers from Tashkent. The peak of the alloy is in the middle of September and October. Lovers of history and travel come here from all over the world, to admire the ancient majestic cities and visit the Amu Darya Reserve. Along the banks of the river there are several climatic zones: desert, semi-desert and mountains. In this region there are single-horned and two-humped camels, listed in the Red Book of the Irbis. In addition, here is located the miraculous lake Mollakara, where many diseases are cured. Here once blossomed an ancient city of the times of Alexander the Great - Nisa. The Amu Darya is the eternal charm of history.