The Lakes Of Afghanistan: An Unexpected Oasis

Afghanistan is often associated with images of a dry and arid country with mountainous terrain, endless deserts, thorn bushes, and mud houses. However, amidst this landscape lies a series of spectacular lakes with intensely blue waters in the central Bamyan Province of Afghanistan. While lakes are not common in most parts of the country, they play a crucial role in providing water for people and animals and recharging underground aquifers. Afghanistan's first national park, Band-e Amir, established in 2009, boasts a chain of six deep blue lakes formed by natural dams in the southern mountainous desert area of the park. These lakes, situated in the foothills of the Hindu Kush mountain range, offer a stunning contrast to the surrounding terrain. The country also features other lakes such as Lake Shewa, Dashti Nawar, and Lake Ṣāberī, showcasing the diverse and unexpected beauty of Afghanistan's waterways.

Afghanistan's Band-e Amir National Park

The lakes take on different shades of blue and green, ranging from lapis lazuli to aquamarine, turquoise to emerald, and sapphire. Band-e Panir, the smallest lake, has a diameter of approximately 100 m (330 ft), while Band-e Zulfiqar, the largest, measures some 6.5 km (4 mi) in length. The most accessible lake is Band-e Haibat, which translates as the "Dam of Awe". The white travertine dams created by fault lines form the barriers between the lakes. Band-e Haibat is also the biggest and deepest of the six, with an estimated average depth of 150 metres.

The name "Band-e Amir" means "the Ruler's Dam" in Dari, and is believed to be a reference to Ali, the fourth Caliph of the Muslims. Band-e Amir has been described as Afghanistan's Grand Canyon National Park and is one of the country's top tourist attractions, drawing over 100,000 local and foreign tourists annually. Visitors can camp, picnic, and rent swan-shaped paddle boats to navigate the lakes. The park is also a haven for birdwatchers, with over 170 bird species reported in the area.

The area surrounding the lakes is hilly and barren, with pink towering limestone cliffs and almost no vegetation. The lakes are accessible only during the summer season, as they are located at a high altitude of around 3 km. The roads leading to the park are bumpy and often in poor condition, although the Afghan government has been working to improve them. Despite the country's political instability and safety concerns, Band-e Amir National Park remains a popular destination for locals and foreign tourists seeking to experience the natural beauty and wonder of this unique landscape.

The country's salt lakes

Afghanistan is a landlocked and fairly dry country with few lakes. The lakes that do exist are mostly small and found in the mountains and northeast of the country. The salt lakes of Afghanistan are primarily found in the lowlands of the south, southwest, west, northwest, and north of the country. These salt lakes are not useful as drinking water but the salt they leave behind can be sold for a high price.

One notable salt lake is Ṣāberī, a salt flat in the southwest that is occasionally inundated with water. Another is the saline Lake Īstādeh-ye Moqor, located 60 miles (100 km) south of Ghaznī in the southeast. There are also five small salt lakes in the Bābā Mountains known as the Amīr lakes, which are known for their unusual shades of colour, from milky white to dark green, caused by the underlying bedrock.

Another set of salt lakes can be found in the Band-e Amir National Park, Afghanistan's first national park, which was established to protect the natural beauty of a series of intensely blue lakes. Band-e Amir is a chain of six lakes in the southern mountainous desert area of the national park, formed from mineral-rich water that seeped out of faults and cracks in the rocky landscape. The water deposited layers of hardened mineral (travertine) that built up into walls, creating natural dams that now contain the water.

The formation of Afghanistan's lakes

Afghanistan is a landlocked country with few lakes of considerable size. The lakes in the country are formed by various processes, including glaciers, rivers, wind blowouts, landslides, natural carbonate buildups, tectonics, and volcanic activity. Here is an overview of the formation of Afghanistan's lakes:

Glacial Lakes

Afghanistan boasts 1,942 glacial lakes, mainly found in the Panj Amu and Kabul river basins. These lakes are generally small, with most ranging from 0.003 km2 to less than 1 km2 in size. The largest glacial lake, located in the Upper Panj sub-basin, spans 14.63 km2. Glacial lakes are formed when ancient ice melts and leaves behind a lake in a rock basin eroded by the ice. An example of a glacial lake in Afghanistan is Lake Chaqmaqtin Kol in the Wakhan Corridor.

Lake Formation by Rivers

Rivers play a crucial role in shaping Afghanistan's lakes. In some cases, rivers flow into and fill up basins, while in others, they contribute to the formation of natural dams. The Balkh River, for instance, is obstructed by travertine dams, resulting in the formation of the Band-e Amir lakes.

Wind Blowouts

Strong winds can also contribute to lake formation. In the case of Namaksar Andkhoy, strong winds from the northwest occasionally fill the basin with water before it dries out, leaving behind valuable salt deposits.

Landslides

Earthquakes and other geological events can trigger landslides, leading to the formation of lakes. Lake Shewa, for instance, was likely created by earthquakes along strike-slip faults, causing rocks to break and a mountain to fall, forming a natural dam.

Natural Carbonate Buildups (Travertine)

The famous Band-e Amir lakes are a result of the unique buildup of travertine rock (calcium carbonate). Over time, carbon dioxide-rich waters seep out of cracks in the ground, depositing layers of calcium carbonate. These layers gradually build up into walls or dams that contain the water, forming the lakes.

Tectonics

Tectonic activity, including downwarping and faulting, can contribute to lake formation. For example, the Seistan Basin depression, into which the Helmand River flows, and the Sari Howz lake near Maimana are both products of fault movements.

Volcanic Activity

Volcanic eruptions can also lead to lake formation. Dashti Nawar, near Ghazni, is a lake that occupies the giant basin left behind by an extinct volcano that last erupted around 2.2 million years ago.

In summary, Afghanistan's lakes are formed by a diverse range of natural processes, each contributing to the country's unique landscape and providing essential water sources for people and animals in this arid region.

Afghanistan's largest drainage system

Afghanistan is a landlocked country with a largely enclosed drainage system. The country's water supply is managed by the National Water Affairs Regulation Authority (NWARA), which is based in the capital city of Kabul.

The largest drainage system in the southeastern region of Afghanistan is that of the Kabul River, which flows eastward from the slopes of the Paghmān range to join the Indus River in Pakistan. Its major tributary in the south is the Lowgar. The Kabul River Basin (KRB) is the country's largest drainage system, covering 11% of Afghanistan and producing 6.9 billion cubic metres (BCM) of water within the country and 1.9 BCM in Pakistan.

The second-largest drainage system in Afghanistan is the Panj-Amu River Basin (PARB), which comprises 14.3% of the country. The PARB is formed mainly by the Amu Darya, which originates in the glaciers of the Pamirs and drains an area of approximately 241,000 square kilometres in the northeastern and northern parts of Afghanistan. The Amu Darya forms the frontier between Afghanistan and the republics of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan for about 1,000 kilometres of its upper course.

The northwestern drainage system is dominated by the Harīrūd River, which originates on the western slopes of the Bābā Mountains and flows westward across the Herāt Valley. The Harīrūd forms the border between Afghanistan and Iran for a distance of 105 kilometres before crossing into Turkmenistan and disappearing in the Karakum Desert.

The principal river in the southwest is the Helmand, which rises in the Bābā Mountains about 80 kilometres west of Kabul and has a course of about 1,150 kilometres. With its many tributaries, mainly the Arghandāb, it drains more than 259,000 square kilometres. The Helmand flows through southern Afghanistan, emptying into highly saline seasonal lakes in the Sīstān depression along the Afghan-Iranian border.

Overall, Afghanistan's drainage systems are characterised by a combination of rivers, streams, canals, lakes, ponds, and springs. The country's water resources are crucial for agriculture, animal husbandry, and artisanal mining, with access to water being a significant driver of conflict in the country.

The country's small lakes

Afghanistan does not have many lakes, but the ones it does have are important for providing water for people and animals, and for recharging freshwater that seeps into underground aquifers. The country's small lakes are mostly freshwater and found in the mountains and northeast of the country.

The most well-known small lakes in Afghanistan are the Band-e Amir lakes, which are located in the central Bamyan Province of Afghanistan. Band-e Amir is a chain of six lakes in the southern mountainous desert area of the national park, formed from mineral-rich water that seeped out of faults and cracks in the rocky landscape. The water deposited layers of hardened mineral (travertine) that built up into walls that now contain the water. The Balkh River originates in this lake system and flows to Balkh Province in the north. The Band-e Amir lakes are known for their deep blue colour, which is due to the clarity of the air and the purity of the water. The high mineral content of the lakes also causes the water to reflect different colours, ranging from milky white to dark green.

Another set of small lakes in Afghanistan is the Amīr lakes, which are found in the Bābā Mountains. These five small lakes are also noted for their unusual shades of colour, from milky white to dark green, caused by the underlying bedrock.

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