Farah Roud

The Farah Roud (what into Persan means Rivière Farah ) is an important river of the south-west of the Afghanistan, which runs in the provinces of Ghor, of Farâh and Nimrôz.

Geography

The river takes its source in the mountains of the Band-e Bayan at the north-eastern end of the district of Charak of the province of Ghôr. It takes the direction of south-west quickly and, in its higher course, a long time in parallel runs (in north) with its principal affluent the Ghor Roud. With the approach of the province of Farâh, Farah Roud is directed abruptly towards the south, which enables him to join the Ghor Roud, then initially takes again its race towards the west, south-west then. It bathes the town of Farâh, and adopting the southern direction full, the basin of Sistan (or Seistan approaches) located at horse on the border of Afghanistan and the Iran and lodging the hamouns (or lakes) of Sistan.

After being itself divided into two arms, Farah Roud finishes its race by giving its water to the Hamoun-e Puzak and especially to the Hamoun-e Saberi.

Farah Roud traverses 560 km. Its average annual flow of more or less 50 m ³ a second, extremely irregular according to the years, is abundant for the area.

Hydrology and flow

The flow of Farah Roud was observed of 1954 at the end of 1978 with Farâh, chief town of the of the same province name located at a hundred kilometers in the north of the mouth of the river in the hamouns of Sistan. After 1978, the disorganization due to the wars did not make it possible any more to continue observations (ref.: ).

Taken measurements with Farah

Source:

The average annual flow is of 1,519 kilometers cubic.

Thus the average interannual flow or module, calculated of 1953 to 1965 is of 48,17 m ³ a second.

The seasonal curve of the flow is typical extremely irregular rivers of mountain of Western Afghanistan with especially nival mode. Farah Roud is a very irregular river, as well in the course of the years, as according to the years. The river falls regularly dry in summer and autumn but generally provides a very important flow each spring.

Between 1955 and 1977, one observed an annual medium flow of only 2,5 m ³ a second in 1962, but more than 80 m ³ a second in 1976.

The period of high waters proceeds at the end of the winter and at the beginning of spring. The maximum flow is observed in March - at the beginning of April and corresponds to the snow melt. It reaches several hundred m ³ a second on average during the first fortnight of March. This short period is quickly followed of a regular fall of the flow which passes under the bar of the 20 m ³ as of June. The flow reaches its average floor from 0,1 to 1 m ³ a second at the end of the summer, i.e. in August and in September, and until December. It is then quasi dry. Some episodes of raw rather short take place sometimes in autumn. To February or January, the flow often goes back very abruptly. Hardly intermediate period ago between the seasons of low and high waters.

For the year 1977, rather poor year (23 m ³ a second on average) and last year observed entirely, the flow oscillated between one low of 0 and one higher of 300 m ³ approximately. This top was reached at the time of a short episode of autumnal rising.

The maximum flow observed to date is of 1.560 m ³ a second on March 15th, 1955.

The project of the tank of Bakhchabad

A stopping is planned on Farah Roud in Bakhchabad. Its approximate localization is of 32° 48 ' north and 62° 39 ' is (i.e. to a hundred kilometers in the North-East of Farâh), in the district of Balled Buluk of the province of Farah. The tank will have a capacity of 570 million cubic meters, that is to say more of the third of the average annual volume of water of the river. The goal of this tank is to ensure the water provision for the irrigation of 35.000 hectares, as well as the establishment of a powerplant of 20.000 Kilowatts.

This project is designed to be operational in 2015.

Affluents

the Ghor Roud
the Malmand

Crossed cities

Farâh

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