Economic Development
| Nurek | |
|---|---|
| The Vakhsh River forms a reservoir behind the Nurek dam. | |
| Coordinates | 38°22′N 69°21′E / 38.367°N 69.35°E / 38.367; 69.35Coordinates: 38°22′N 69°21′E / 38.367°N 69.35°E / 38.367; 69.35 |
The Vakhsh has been intensively developed for human use. Electricity, aluminum, and cotton are the mainstays of Tajikistan’s economy, and the Vakhsh is involved with all three of these sectors. Hydroelectricity provides 91% of the country’s electricity as of 2005, and 90% of that total comes from the five completed dams along the Vakhsh, dominated by the world's tallest completed dam, the Nurek. (These dams make Tajikistan the highest hydroelectric power producer per capita in the world.) Hydroelectricity powers the aluminum production at the Tajik Aluminum Company in Tursunzoda, a major source of Tajikistan’s industrial output and export revenue. As for cotton, Vakhsh water irrigates much of Tajikistan’s crop; about 85% of the water taken from the Vakhsh goes toward irrigation.
Read more about this topic: Vakhsh River
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