Resort · Khanabad
Khanabad Sanatorium
Thermal waters and foothill air
Nature · Khanabad
Andijan Reservoir
A reservoir near Khanabad where the Kara Darya enters the Fergana Valley. Built in 1969–1983, it reaches 98 metres deep and waters the valley's fields.
History
The hydraulic engineer Ivan Aleksandrov proposed a large reservoir in the Fergana Valley as early as 1917, but the decision to build it was only taken in 1963. Work began in 1969 and was completed in 1983. The Andijan hydropower station was built with the dam, and a second plant, Andijan HPP-2, came online in 2010. The reservoir allowed 44,000 hectares of new land to be irrigated in Uzbekistan and improved the water supply to another 257,000 hectares.
Facts and figures
This is a river-channel reservoir 20 km long, up to 6 km wide and 98 metres deep at its deepest. It holds 1.9 km³ of water, 1.75 km³ of it usable, and its design surface area is 56 km². Two tributaries of the Kara Darya, the Tar and the Karakulja, flow into it. Part of the reservoir lies in Kyrgyzstan, where it is known as Kempir-Abad. In 2022 the two countries signed a border agreement that provides for its joint use.
Visiting
Khanabad has a small museum devoted to the reservoir. The dam is a strategic border facility and access may be restricted, so the best views of the blue water against the mountains are from the hills around Khanabad.