THE IMPACT OF THE KARA KUM CANAL ON THE ENVIRONMENT

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Abstract
Environmental changes induced by the appearance of the Kara Kum Canal in southern Turkmenia are discussed, with particular emphasis on hydrologic and hydrogeologic effects. In the Kelif Uzboy, an ancient dry stream bed in the eastern segment of the canal, a series of playa depressions traversed by the canal have turned into a chain of lakes; but the high turbidity of the Amudarya water carried by the canal has resulted in rapid silting up of the newly formed lakes and spillovers of canal water into surrounding areas. In the Murgab oasis, the increased water supply has resulted in an expansion of the irrigated area from 100,000 hectares before the canal to 220,000 ha in 1971. But the rise of the highly mineralized groundwater level has tended to reduce yields. The salt level of groundwater is gradually being reduced by the construction of a drainage system for carrying surplus irrigation water out of the area. In desert areas, the coming of the canal has given rise to distinctive landscapes combining fringing forest with the primary desert vegetation.

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