- Panj River
Infobox River
river_name = Panj River
caption =
origin = confluence of Pamir andVahandarya River s
mouth =Amu Darya
basin_countries =Afghanistan ,Tajikistan
length = 921 km
elevation =
mouth_elevation =
discharge = 1,000 m³/s
watershed = 114,000 km²The Panj River ( [IPA|pændʒ] ) also called the Pyandzh River or Piandj River ( _tg. Панҷ) is a
tributary of theAmu Darya . The river is 1,125 km long and forms a consideable part of the Afghanistan -Tajikistan border. The river starts from the lakeZorkul in the ancient region ofBadakhshan . From there, it flows westwards alongside the border of two countries. After passing the city ofKhorog , capital of theGorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region ofTajikistan it receives water from one of its main tributaries, theBartang River . It then turns towards the southwest, before joining the river Vakhsh and forming the greatest river ofCentral Asia , theAmudarya .Panj played a very important role duringSoviet times, and was a strategic river during the Soviet military operations in Afghanistan in 1980's.Bridges
* A bridge was built over the river between Tajikistan and Afghanistan at
Nizhnii Panj . The contract was awarded in May 2005 and the construction of the main Bridge began in Jan 2006 and was completed in August 2007. The financing was provided by the USA, amounting to 37 million USD, and the construction was done by an Italian General Construction companyRizzani de Eccher SpA under the ownership ofUS Army Corps of Engineers . The bridge replaces a barge with which only 60 cars a day can be transported and which is unusable many months in the year due to strong current of the river.* Another bridge at was built at the confluence with the
Gunt River atKhorog in 2003.
* A bridge exists atLangar , which may still be closed.The
Aga Khan Development Network has been engaged in a project to build a series of bridges across the Pyanj River betweenTajikistan andAfghanistan .
* The first of these, connectingTem on the Tajik side withDemogan on the Afghan side, was innaugrated by Tajikistan’s PresidentEmomali Rahmonov , Afghanistan’s Vice-PresidentHedayat Amin Arsala and His Highness the Aga Khan in November, 2002. [cite web |url=http://www.akdn.org/news/tajikbridge_110402.htm |title=Press Release: Aga Khan and Tajik and Afghan Leaders Open Bridge into Afghanistan - AKDN, November 3, 2002 |accessdate=2006-12-09]
* This was followed by the innauguration of theTajik-Afghan Friendship Bridge atDarwaz in July, 2004, [cite web |url=http://www.akdn.org/news/2004July6.htm |title=Press Release: Darwaz Bridge to strengthen commercial ties and Tajik-Afghan relations - AKDN, July 6, 2004 |accessdate=2006-12-09]
* TheIshkashim bridge was inaugurated in October, 2006. [cite web |url=http://www.akdn.org/speeches/2006Oct31.htm |title=Remarks by the Aga Khan at the Inauguration of the Ishkashim Bridge - AKDN, October 31, 2006 |accessdate=2006-12-09] [cite web |url=http://www2.asiaplus.tj/en/news/16/12171.html |title=News: Aga Khan and President Rahmonov inaugurate reconstructed bridge in Ishkashim - Asia-Plus, October 31, 2006 |accessdate=2006-12-10]References
ee also
*
Amu river
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