The Mingachevir reservoir (Azerbaijani: Mingəçevir su anbarı) (also known as the Mingachevir sea (Azerbaijani: Mingəçevir dənizi)) is a large reservoir on the Kura river in northwestern Azerbaijan.[1][2][3] It supplies water to the Upper Karabakh and Upper Shirvan channels, and is used for electricity generation, irrigation water supply, and fishing.
| Mingachevir Reservoir | |
|---|---|
 Mingachevir Reservoir | |
  Mingachevir Reservoir | |
| Location | Mingachevir |
| Coordinates | 40°47′20″N 47°01′40″E / 40.78889°N 47.02778°E |
| Type | reservoir |
| Primary inflows | Kura River, Alazani, Iori/Qabırlı |
| Primary outflows | Kura River |
| Basin countries | Azerbaijan |
| Built | 1953 |
| Max. length | 70 km (43 mi) |
| Max. width | 18 km (11 mi) |
| Surface area | 605 km2 (234 sq mi) |
| Average depth | 26 m (85 ft) |
| Max. depth | 75 m (246 ft) |
| Water volume | 15.730 km3 (12,753,000 acre⋅ft) |
| Shore length1 | 247 km (153 mi) |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
Overview
editThe Mingachevir reservoir is the largest reservoir in the Caucasus, having a length of 70 km (43 mi), a width of 18 km (11 mi), maximum depth of 75 m (246 ft), average depth of 26 m (85 ft), maximum volume of 15.73 km3,[4] shoreline length of 247 km (153 mi), and overall area of 605 km2 (234 sq mi).[5][6][7]
The reservoir's water level is maintained by the dam of the Mingachevir Hydro Power Plant, built near Mount Bozdağ from 1945 to 1953.[8] It is the largest hydroelectric power station of Azerbaijan, with an installed electric capacity of 401.6 megawatts.[9] Its dam has a length of 1,550 m (5,090 ft), a width of 16 m (52 ft), and a height of 80 m (260 ft).[6]
The reservoir's initial filling lasted from 1953 to 1959,[5] and was refilled to maximum capacity in 1963, 1968, 1973, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1988, and 2010.[10]
Orographic description
editCliffs are particular for both banks of the river Kur, and they are also observed where the river flows into Mingachevir reservoir. However, sandy-clayey sediments belonging to the Paleogene-Neogene are widespread in the area of the reservoir. At the edges of the Mingachevir reservoir, landslide processes occur periodically.[11]
As a possible military target
editWithin the context of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, scholars and politicians have speculated the possibility of the Mingachevir reservoir being used as a military target by Armenian forces. Russian ethnographer Sergey Arutyunov stated in a 2010 interview:[12]
I will not disclose a military secret—this has been openly admitted in Armenia's general staff—that Armenian or NKR artillery batteries, stationed at the top of Karabakh mountains, are 40 kilometers away from the Mingachevir reservoir. One strike and central Azerbaijan will turn into a sea.
In the aftermath of the 2014 Armenian–Azerbaijani clashes, Armenia's Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan stated at the government session on August 7 that the Troops of the Civil Defense of the Azerbaijani Ministry of Emergency Situations have recently been mainly protecting the Mingachevir Hydro Power Plant fearing an attack by the Armenian forces.[13] In response, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry issued a statement the next day which said that "the Armenian people should know that the response to any sabotage attempts against Mingachevir Hydro Power Plant from the Armenian side will be more miserable"[14] and cautioned that Azerbaijan had the capability to raze Yerevan, Armenia's capital.[15]
Telman Zeynalov, president of the National Center of Environmental Forecasting, said in an interview that the entire area from Arran (i.e. the great triangle of land, lowland in the east but rising to mountains in the west, formed by the junction of the rivers Kura and Aras)[16] to Baku, the Azerbaijani capital, would be flooded if Mingachevir Dam was destroyed. In his words, it would lead to a "large-scale environmental disaster." Zeynalov added that the Armenian side should be cautious because the flooding "would affect both sides" and most of Armenian-occupied Karabakh would also be flooded.[17] The latter claim was rejected by Armenian analyst Hrant Melik-Shahnazaryan who stated that the waters of the Mingachevir reservoir cannot possibly reach the highlands of Karabakh.[18]
Armenia's former defense minister Vagharshak Harutiunyan mentioned attacking the reservoir dam in a July 2020 interview.[19]
Vagif Dargahli, spokesperson of Azerbaijan's Ministry of Defense stated in July 2020 that the "land topography of the Mingachevir water reservoir, protective land works in the area and advanced air defense systems in service with the country’s missile defense troops make a strike on this strategically important facility impossible."[20]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Ilʹin, Mikhail (1948). "От Черного до Каспийского моря".
- ^ Davydov, Mitrofan (1958). "От Волхова до Амура".
- ^ "Azərbaycan Milli Kitabxanası".
- ^ Coene, Frederik (2010). The Caucasus : an introduction. London: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-48660-6.
- ^ a b Swietochowski, Tadeusz; Collins, Brian C. (1999). Historical Dictionary of Azerbaijan. Scarecrow Press. p. 81. ISBN 978-0-8108-3550-4.
- ^ a b "Su anbarları". mst.gov.az. Archived from the original on 19 January 2011.
- ^ "Water resources in Azerbaijan". Archived from the original on 10 July 2011.
- ^ "Rivers, Lakes and Reservoirs of Azerbaijan Republic". Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources (Azerbaijan). Archived from the original on 2 July 2014. Retrieved 11 June 2014.
- ^ Mingechevir HydroElectric Power Plant Archived 2012-02-17 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 23 October 2010
- ^ Mingəçevir Su Anbarında su maksimal səviyyəyə çatıb Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 23 October 2010
- ^ Urban Groundwater Management and Sustainability. Springer. October 2006. ISBN 9781402051746.
- ^ "Մի համազարկ' եւ կենտրոնական Ադրբեջանը ծով կդառնա". Hetq (in Armenian). 16 August 2010. Archived from the original on 17 May 2016. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
- ^ Shoghikyan, Hovhannes (7 August 2014). ""Մեր զինված ուժերը պատրաստ են իրենց առջև դրված խնդիրն իրականացնելու"․ Օհանյան". azatutyun.am (in Armenian). Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Archived from the original on 3 October 2015. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
Պաշտպանության նախարար Սեյրան Օհանյանը արձագանքեց, որ Ադրբեջանի արտակարգ իրավիճակների նախարարության քաղպաշտպանության զորքերը վերջին շրջանում հիմնականում պաշտպանում են Մինգեչաուրի ջրամբարը՝ մտավախություն ունենալով, որ հայկական կողմը կարող է այդտեղ գործողություններ իրականացնել։
- ^ "Azerbaijani Defense Ministry: "Our Army, targeting Armenia with missiles, is ready to fulfill even the order of destroying Yerevan"". apa.az. 8 August 2014. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
- ^ Bender, Jeremy (8 August 2014). "Azerbaijan's Army Says It Is 'Ready To Fulfill Even The Order Of Destroying' Armenia's Capital City". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 4 October 2020. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
- ^ Bosworth, C. E. (15 December 1986). "Arrān". Encyclopædia Iranica. Archived from the original on 27 July 2017. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
- ^ "Тельман Зейналов: "Если армяне взорвут Мингечаур, то Карабах останется под водой"". haqqin.az (in Russian). 7 August 2014. Archived from the original on 8 October 2020. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
- ^ "Հրանտ Մելիք-Շահնազարյանն արձագանքել է ադրբեջանական հոխորտանքներին. "Ջրերը չեն կարող դաշտավայրից լեռներ հոսել"" (in Armenian). Armenpress. 7 August 2014. Archived from the original on 27 November 2022. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
- ^ "Մեր հարվածային ուժերը կարող են ոչնչացնել Ադրբեջանում բոլոր թիրախները, այդ երկրի 2/3 կմնա ջրի տակ․ Վաղարշակ Հարությունյան". factor.am (in Armenian). 2 July 2020. Archived from the original on 13 July 2020.
- ^ "Baku, Yerevan exchange statements on possibility of striking critical infrastructure". tass.com. TASS. 17 July 2020. Archived from the original on 4 August 2020. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
