Marghab River

This article is about the river rising in central-western Afghanistan. For the river rising in the Wakhan District of northeastern Afghanistan which is also called "Murghab River" in its upper reaches, seeBartang.

Marghab River Murghab, Margab, Murqab, Margos, Margu, Margiana, Murgap
The Marghab in theBadghis Province
Marghab River watershed, upstream of Saryyazy Reservoir (Interactive map)
Etymology	PersianMarv-ab,"River ofMerv"
Native name	مرغاب(Persian) Morqâb(Pashto) مرگاپ(Balochi)
Location
Countries	Afghanistan,Turkmenistan
Physical characteristics
Source
• location	Selseleh-ye Safīd Kūh,Marghab District,Afghanistan
• coordinates	35.15°N 65.99°E/35.15; 65.99
Mouth
• location	Mary Oasis(ultimately theAral SeaviaAmu Darya)
Length	~850 km (530 mi)
Basin size	34,700 km2(13,400 sq mi) (Harirod-Murghab basin)
Discharge
• average	48.7 m3/s (1,720 cu ft/s)
Basin features
River system	Amu Darya

TheMarghab River(Persian/Pashto:مرغاب,Morqâb,Balochi:مرگاپ), anciently theMargiana(Ancient Greek:Μαργιανή,Margianḗ), is an 850-kilometre (530 mi) long river inCentral Asia.It rises in theParopamisus Mountains(Selseleh-ye Safīd Kūh) inGhor Province,flows through theMarghab Districtin centralAfghanistan,then runs northwest towards theBala Murghab.Reaching the oasis ofMaryin theKarakum DesertofTurkmenistan,the Marghab debouches into theKarakum Canal,a diversion of water from theAmu Darya.The catchment area of the Marghab is estimated at 46,880 square kilometres (18,100 sq mi).

Geography

The Marghab River originates in theGhor Provinceof central Afghanistan, on a plateau among the chain of mountains ofParopamisus,GharjistanandBand-i Turkestan.In its higher course, the river runs from east to west, towards Mukhamedkhan, for about 300 kilometres (190 mi) in a narrow, steep valley measuring less than one kilometer in width, with narrow gorges in some places.

BetweenDarband-i KilrekhtandMukhammedkhan,the Marghab crosses the western part of Band-i Turkestan, and then runs toward the northwest in a deep canyon. At Mukhammedkhan, it crosses the gorges ofJaokar.After this, the valley widens somewhat, gradually reaching a width of 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) in Turkmenistan. Beyond Mukhamedkhan, a small portion of the water of the Marghab is used for irrigation; approximately 10,000 hectares (25,000 acres) are irrigated from the Marghab in Afghanistan. The Marghab receives the waters of theKaysar riveron the right, then forms the border between Turkmenistan and Afghanistan over 16-kilometre (10 mi) length.

In Turkmenistan, close toTagtabazar,the Marghab receives theKashan Riverfrom the left bank, and 25 kilometres (16 mi) further, there is the confluence of theKushk.Downstream of the confluence with the Kushk lies the Saryyazy reservoir, built in 1959, and expanded in 1978. The reservoir and its surrounding area is ecologically important for birds.Reaching the oasis ofMary,the Marghab mingles its waters with those of theKarakum Canal,a diversion of water from theAmu Darya.

• 
  The fertile Marghab Valley in Afghanistan
• 
  A bridge across the Marghab in 1962
• 
  Thegeneratorsof Hindu Kush hydro power plant (Гиндукушская ГЭС) on Marghab River soon after its completion in 1909 by theHungarianGanz Works.At the time, it was the largest hydro power generating station of theRussian Empire

Hydrometry: the flows at Tagtabazar

The flow of Marghab was observed during 50 years (1936–85) atTagtabazar,a location in Turkmenistan about 30 kilometres (19 mi) after the Marghab leaves the Afghan territory, and a score of kilometers upstream of the confluence with theKushk.At Tagtabazar, average annual flow observed over this period was 48.7 cubic metres per second (1,720 cu ft/s) for an observed surface area of 34,700 square kilometres (13,400 sq mi), which is 74 percent of the totality of thecatchment areaof the river. The geographically-averaged hydrometric flow passing through this part of the basin, by far greatest from the point of view of the flow, thus reached the figure of 44.3 millimeters per annual, which is very appreciable in this particularly desiccated area.

Monthly mean flows of Murghab (in cubic meters per second) measured at the hydrometric station of Tagtabazar
Data calculated over 50 years

A 2021 study indicates that in the near term (by 2040), the Marghab's flow could fall by as much as one-third due to climate change, and by 40 percent by the end of the 21st century.

External links

• Murgap river(Murghab river) marked on the OpenStreetMap
• Morghab River,in Encyclopædia Britannica
• Map of the province of Ghor, with trace of the flow of waterArchived29 June 2006 at theWayback Machine
• Map of vegetation cover in the province of Badghis, with trace of the flow of waterArchived29 June 2006 at theWayback Machine
• "Delft Hydraulics - Integrated Water Resources Management for the Sistan Closed Inland Delta - ANNEX B: Forecasting the Flow from Afghanistan - Page 18: cartes hydrographiques d'Afghanistan"(PDF).(1.50 MB)(in English)