Akhurian Reservoir (Armenian: Ախուրյանի ջրամբար; Turkish: Arpaçay Baraj Gölü) is a reservoir on the Akhurian River between Armenia and Turkey.[2][3] The reservoir has a surface area of 54 km2 and a volume of 525 million cubic meters.[2][3] It is one of the largest reservoirs in the Caucasus, although smaller than the Mingachevir reservoir and the Shamkir reservoir in Azerbaijan.
| Akhurian Reservoir | |
|---|---|
| Ախուրյանի ջրամբար Arpaçay Reservoir | |
 | |
  Akhurian Reservoir  Akhurian Reservoir  Akhurian Reservoir | |
| Location | Shirak Province-Kars Province |
| Coordinates | 40°33′47.67″N 43°39′16.26″E / 40.5632417°N 43.6545167°E |
| Primary inflows | Akhuryan |
| Primary outflows | Akhuryan |
| Basin countries | Armenia Turkey |
| Built | 1975–1980[1] |
| First flooded | 1980[2] |
| Max. length | 20 km (12 mi)[2] |
| Surface area | 54 km2 (21 sq mi)[3] |
| Max. depth | 59 m (194 ft) (the dam)[4] |
| Water volume | 0.525 km3 (0.126 cu mi)[2][3] |
| Surface elevation | 1,600 m (5,200 ft) |
| Settlements | Aghin |
Its water is used for irrigation in Armenia's Aragatsotn, Armavir and Shirak provinces.[3] Its water is used in Turkey for irrigation (70000 ha agricultural area) in the provinces of Kars and Ardahan.[5]
Foundation
editOn April 25, 1963, Turkey and the Soviet Union (which Armenia was part of at the time) signed an agreement on constructing a dam on Akhurian River and regulating the flow of four rivers into the reservoir.[2][6] It was built between 1975 and 1980[1] and began to be operated in 1980.[2]
Pollution
editAccording to Armenian researchers, "the water system is polluted with heavy metals and different toxic materials."[2]
References
edit- ^ a b "Agro.am" Շիրակի մարզի ջրային ռեսուրսների գյուղատնտեսական արդյունավետ օգտագործումը բերքատվության բարձրացման նպատակով (in Armenian). AgroWeb Armenia. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Soghoian, Yeranuhi (8 May 2009). "Pollution in Border Reservoir Worries Armenia". Institute for War & Peace Reporting. Archived from the original on 13 July 2019. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
- ^ a b c d e Հայաստանի Հանրապետության Ֆիզիկաաշխարհագրական օբյեկտների համառոտ տեղեկատու-բառարան [Dictionary of Physical-Geographic Objects in the Republic of Armenia] (PDF) (in Armenian). State Committee of the Real Estate Cadastre. 2007. p. 7. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-05-17. Retrieved 2013-08-01.
- ^ "ARPAÇAY BARAJI" (in Turkish). Devlet Su İşleri Genel Müdürlüğü. Archived from the original on 15 May 2012. Retrieved 30 August 2013.
- ^ "DSİ". Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2014-03-07.
- ^ Sedat Laçiner; Mehmet Özcan; İhsan Bal (2010). USAK Yearbook of International Politics and Law 2010, Vol. 3. USAK Books. p. 232. ISBN 9786054030262.
External links
edit
Media related to Akhurian Reservoir at Wikimedia Commons
