Qargha
| Qargha Reservoir Band Qarghai Lake Qargha |
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| Coordinates | 34°33′19″N 69°01′58″E / 34.5552°N 69.0329°E |
| Type | reservoir |
| Basin countries | Afghanistan |
| Max. length | 450 m (1,480 ft) |
| Surface area | 5,000 ha (12,000 acres) |
| Average depth | 30 m (98 ft) |
Qargha is a dam and reservoir in Afghanistan near Kabul. The reservoir and its peripheral areas provide for recreation facilities such as boating, surfing, golfing, etc. and has a hotel on its bank. There is a fishery development in the reservoir supported by a hatchery on its banks. Irrigation and hydropower developments have also been planned from the stored waters of the reservoir.
The dam is about 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) west of Kabul and is built on the Paghman River.
The dam was built in 1933. It has a height of 30 metres (98 ft). The dam length is 450 metres (1,480 ft) and top width is 8 metres (26 ft). A sluice gate of the dam which was damaged has since been restored. The reservoir water spread area behind the dam is 5,000 hectares (12,000 acres). The reservoir was developed for the purpose of recreation in the 1950s when Daud was the President of the country. It is now a popular picnic location, particularly on Friday's when it is visited by a large number of picnickers. During the Seventh Fiver Plan of the country, the stored water from the dam was planned for supplementing drinking water to Kabul city.
An irrigation canal is proposed to be built from the dam, and survey for the same has been completed from the dam up to Badambagh. This canal is proposed for providing irrigation and expand horticulture.
The reservoir has been developed for trout fishing with a hatchery set up close to the reservoir. As part of recreation, apart from the lake side upscale Spojhmai hotel, there is a 9-hole golf course at the extreme periphery of the reservoir. A new hydrological station has been set up since 2008 at the location of the reservoir for planning of water resources development as part of the network of 174 hydrological stations and 60 snow gauges and meteorological stations proposed in the country. This project is funded by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
As part of future planning for alternate sources of energy, utilization of the stored waters of the reservoir and the drop available in the dam has been studied.
There was a terrorist attack by the Taliban at the hotel on the edge of the reservoir on 22 June 2012, as it was suspected that it was one of the main centres of prostitution and partying in Kabul. Twenty people including security personnel and the terrorists were killed in the encounter.
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Wikipedia