Basin map

The Kashkadarya River flows in the Sogd province in Tajikistan and Kashkadarya province in Uzbekistan. In the upper reaches, it is called Obikhunda, in the middle reaches – Shinachasay, and in the lower reaches – Maymanakdarya.

The flow of the Kashkadarya river basin is formed at the western ends of the Zarafshan and Gissar ranges. When the river reaches the valley, left tributaries are joining the river. The majority of them are with higher water content than the Kashkadarya River itself. Its first tributary is the Djinnidarya River. The Aksu, the largest river in the basin, also flows downstream to the left, and then further down – the Tankhaz River. The Yakkabagdarya, second largest river in terms of water content, does not reach the Kashkadarya; when it flows out of the mountain, it is divided into two almost equal streams – Karabag and Kyzylsu. The latter flows into the Tankhaz River, and thus reaches the Kashkadarya River. Another left tributary is the Guzardarya River, which is formed by the confluence of the Kattauru and Kichikuru rivers. The lower reaches of the Guzardarya is called Karasu.

The length of the river is 378 km; the basin area is 8,780 km? (according to the Great Soviet Encyclopedia) or 12,000 km? (according to the National Encyclopedia of Uzbekistan).

The Kashkadarya River has many tributaries: Djinnidarya, Akdarya (Aksu), Yakkabag, Tankhiz (Tankhizydarya), Guzardarya, Lyangar, and Kyzyldarya. The river is fed by snow and rain; its flow average modulus is 5.7 l/s km²; average multi-year water discharge is 25.3 m³/s (Chirakchi city) and 7.68 m³/s (Kasan city).

The Kashkadarya River and its tributaries are widely used for irrigation. However, in the Karshi district (where the Karshi oasis ends), the river is gradually losing its way to the sands of the Sundukli. Lower reaches are fed by the Eskiankhor canal and Zarafshan River.

Intra-annual flow distribution

Probability curve of annul river flow

Gissarak reservoir

Dynamics of inflow to the reservoir during the growing and non-growing seasons

Dynamics of water releases from the reservoir during the growing and non-growing seasons

Kamashi reservoir

Dynamics of inflow to the reservoir during the growing and non-growing seasons

Dynamics of water releases from the reservoir during the growing and non-growing seasons

Pachkamar reservoir

Dynamics of inflow to the reservoir during the growing and non-growing seasons

Dynamics of water releases from the reservoir during the growing and non-growing seasons

Talimardzhan reservoir

Dynamics of inflow to the reservoir during the growing and non-growing seasons

Dynamics of water releases from the reservoir during the growing and non-growing seasons

Chimkurgan reservoir

Dynamics of inflow to the reservoir during the growing and non-growing seasons

Dynamics of water releases from the reservoir during the growing and non-growing seasons