Sarez Lake

Sarez Lake in the southeastern Pamir Mountains of Tajikistan is the largest natural sediment reservoir in Central Asia. Located east of the Pamir crest in the semiautonomous Gorno-Badakshan region, the lake formed when a 1911 tremor shook loose 6 billion metric tons of debris, damming the Murgab River. The Usoi Dam—named after the village it buried—is the highest dam, natural or manmade, on Earth. The water level rose 240 meters (787 feet) in three years and inundated 60 kilometers (37 miles) before filtration through a subterranean outlet reestablished the river. The current estimated lake area is 2 square kilometers (.7 square miles), with a maximum height above the original valley floor of 500–700 meters (1,640–2,300 feet). The lake level currently rises up to 20 centimeters (8 inches) annually.

Failure of the Usoi Dam is a potential cataclysmic disaster that would alter the economy and sociopolitical environment of Tajikistan. In a worst-case scenario that assumes collapse of the dam, a catastrophic outburst flood from Sarez Lake would destroy the villages and infrastructure in the Amu Dar'ya basin between the lake and the Aral Sea. The size and complexity of this problem will also almost certainly require financial and technical assistance from the international community. Close monitoring and an early warning system appear the most likely precautionary measures because increasing the stability of the dam is too costly. At stake are many lives, national pride, future economic development, and significant freshwater resources.

Alford, Donald, Stephen F. Cunha, and Jack D. Ives. (2000) "Lake Sarez, Pamir Mountains, Tajikistan: Mountain Hazards and Development Assistance." Mountain Research and Development 20, 1 (February).

Cunha, Stephen F. (1994) "Summits, Snow Leopards, Farmers, and Fighters: Will Politics Prevent a National Park in the High Pamirs of Tajikistan?" Focus 44, 1.

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