During
dry season most rivers in Afghanistan become little rivulets. The rivers are
mostly supported by mountain streams. These rivers had good amount of water
in spring season, when snow on the mountain melts. Most Afghan rivers end in
salty swamps. Few of them end in lakes, while one of them enters Iran to
merge in Indus, a mighty river.
Rivers
Kabul: An exception among Afghan rivers, Kabul river is always full
of water. It flows east into Pakistan to merge into the Indus River.
Amu Darya: This river, located on the norther border, is the
country's only largely navigable river. Two main tributaries of Amu Darya
are Panj and Vakhsh.
Harirud River: Rising in Central Afghanistan, Harirud River moves to
west and north-west direction where the border with Iran exists. Water of
Harirud River is extensively for irrigation purposes in Herat region.
Helmand River: Longest among the rivers in Afghanistan, Helmand
River originates in Central Hindu Kush mountains. The river flows past the
south-west region of the country, ending in Iran. This river is also widely
used for irrigation.
Lakes and Dams
Afganistan does not have great number of lakes, and they too are small in
size. Mentionable lakes in the country are Lake Zarkol along the Tajikistan
border, Lake Shiveh in Badakhshan, and saltwater Lake Istadehye Moqor, south
of Ghazni. Near the borders of Iran, there are two salt marshes too.
Important dams and reservoirs in the country include Kajaki Reservoir on
Helmand River, Kelagay Dam on a tributory of Amu Darya River, Sardeh Dam on
Ghazni River, and Arghandab Dam on a tributary of Helmand.
