The Amudarya River is the largest water flow in Central Asia. Its length is 1415 kilometers, and the water intake basin is more than 309 thousand square kilometers. It flows through the territory of five states: Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. The river is formed by Vakhsh and Pyanj at the confluence. The main flow is formed in Tajikistan - 85% and Northern Afghanistan - 15%. The Amu Darya 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 river is fed by glacial and melt waters. 80% of the water is regulated by 36 reservoirs with a capacity of 24 billion cubic meters. The annual flow of the river is 73.6 km3. The maximum water flow is in summer, the minimum is in January and February.
Economic importance of the Amu Darya
This river is vital to the vast number of people who inhabit its basin. Its waters are used for domestic needs, power generation, agriculture, drinking purposes and industrial consumption. In the lower reaches of the river and floodplain lakes,fishing. In the area of the city of Turkmenabad, the Amudarya River is navigable. Most of the water is used by agriculture to irrigate 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 more than others for the needs of agriculture - up to 40%. The largest canal in the world, the Karakum canal, was 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 ancient times the Amu Darya went into swamps with 40 mouths and had 360 canals, but only one branch flowed into the Caspian Sea. But modern scientists have found that the water flow only reached Lake Sarykamysh. Thus, the information of the ancient chronicler was most likely based on oral traditions. The Amu Darya had many names in ancient times. The Zoroastrians called her Vaksh, Arkhara, Raha or Ranha. The ancient Greeks called Arax. And during the conquests of Alexander the Great, the river was called Oxos. Along the banks of the Amu Darya were the great states of antiquity: Khorezm, Bactria and Sogdiana. In the Middle Ages, there was a trade route from Russia to Bukhara along the Amu Darya. Peter I actively tried to involve the river in Russian trade. At that time, the Amudarya River was surveyed. The map of that time is quite accurate. Systematic studies of the river began only in the 20th century. At the same timebegan to observe the composition of the water.
Ecology
The load on the Amu Darya has increased in recent decades, which caused a sharp deterioration in the composition of the water. There was also an imbalance. The Amudarya River today shows alarming parameters of mineralization and hardness. For example, in 1940 the hardness of water was 4.2 meq/liter. In the 90th year - 9. And today - 9.8 mg.eq / liter. S alt concentration depends on the season. These indicators are due to the massive discharge of domestic and industrial waters into the river; surface runoff and emissions from river fleet vessels are also important. Since the river flows through the territory of several states, the problems of its cleaning are complex efforts. To date, the governments of all five countries have made plans and signed agreements.
Fishing
Fish is found in the lower reaches of the river and in the lakes of the Amudarya basin. The main prey of fishermen is carp, salmon, asp, marinka and barbel. But in the upper reaches there is also fish - osman, which replaces trout on the river. These are objects of fishing, and more than a hundred different species are found 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 are used to search for prey in troubled waters. Osman differs from barbels and marinkas in that his tail and sides are covered with small rare scales, his belly is completely naked, and there are also 2 additional antennae. Fishing on the Amu Darya lasts from May to October. You can catch with spinning, donks and half-donks.
Tourism
Rafting lovers love to come here. Both the Amu Darya and the Syr Darya are attractive in this respect - there are several interesting places. The route starts a few kilometers from Tashkent. The peak of the rafting falls on mid-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. There are several climatic zones along the banks of the river: desert, semi-desert and mountains. One-humped and two-humped camels live in this region, the snow leopard is listed in the Red Book. In addition, the miraculous lake Mollakara is located here, where many diseases are cured. Here once flourished the ancient city of the time of Alexander the Great - Nis. The Amu Darya is the eternal charm of history.
