Nature · Sardoba District
Hungry Steppe (Mirzachul)
From waterless steppe to cotton country
Nature · Sardoba District
Sardoba Reservoir
A reservoir of about 60 km² in the heart of the Hungry Steppe, built in 2010–2017; on 1 May 2020 a dam breach caused a major flood.
The reservoir
The Sardoba Reservoir lies on the Central Branch canal in Sardoba District. It covers about 60 km², holds 0.973 km³ and reaches 28 m in depth. It was built in 2010–2017, with filling beginning in the winter of 2013–2014, to irrigate farmland in Sirdaryo and Jizzakh regions.
On 1 May 2020 one of its dams failed and 610 km² were flooded. Some 70,000 people were evacuated in Uzbekistan and 30,000 in neighbouring Kazakhstan; the flood claimed lives and caused heavy damage. It ranks among the worst man-made disasters in the region’s history.
Sources (2)
Archaeology · Sardoba District
Ogʻoch (Yogʻochli) Sardoba
Cool water for caravans on the steppe
Mosque · Gulistan
Gulistan Jome Mosque
The city’s main mosque
Temple & church · Gulistan
St Nicholas Church
A mud-brick church built in wartime
Museum · Gulistan
Sirdaryo Regional Museum of History and Culture
The story of the Hungry Steppe under one roof
Culture & arts · Gulistan
Alim Khojaev Sirdaryo Regional Music and Drama Theatre
The stage of the Hungry Steppe