Water management

River basins and water resources

Tajikistan can be divided into four major river basins:

- The Syr Darya basin. The northwest of the country forms part of the Syr Darya basin. About 78% of the flow of the Syr Darya River is generated on the territory of the Kyrgyz Republic. Only 1% of the total flow of the Syr Darya River is generated within Tajikistan by the shallow rivers Khodzhabakirgan, Aksu, Isfara and Isfana, with a total flow of 0.4 km3/year.

- The Amu Darya basin. About 82.5% of the flow of the Amu Darya River is generated on the territory of Tajikistan by the Vakhsh, Pyandzh and Kafirnigan rivers. The Vakhsh River is the largest river in Tajikistan, crossing it from the northeast to the southwest. It rises in the Kyrgyz Republic, where it is called the Kyzyl Suu, and its catchment area lies in the highest part of Tajikistan at over 3 500 m. The Pyandzh River forms the border between Tajikistan and Afghanistan for almost its entire length. After the confluence with the Vakhsh River, it becomes the Amu Darya River and about 100 km further downstream it leaves Tajikistan to become the border between Afghanistan and Uzbekistan. The Kafirnigan River is another large tributary of the Amu Darya River. It rises in Tajikistan and flows into the Amu Darya River about 36 km downstream of the confluence of the Pyandzh and Vakhsh rivers.

- The Zeravshan basin. The Zeravshan River, rising in Tajikistan, was once the largest tributary of the Amu Darya River. At present its flow is almost fully used, mainly for irrigation.

- The basin draining to China. In the extreme northeast of the country, a small area drains towards China. No figures on flows are available.

More information
(http://www.fao.org/nr/water/aquastat/countries/tajikistan/index.stm)