Khachinchay reservoir

Khachinchay reservoir — located in the Aghdam district, on the Khachinchay. The reservoir was commissioned in 1964 by the government of Azerbaijan for the purpose of providing water resources for irrigation of agricultural lands.

As a result of the occupation by Armenian occupiers of the Aghdam district in 1993, the operation of the reservoir by Azerbaijan was not possible until the end of 2020.

Technical specifications

The dam height is 44 m, length 940 m and the total volume of the reservoir is 23 million m³. The surface area of the water mirror is 1.76 km², the maximum water depth is 37 m. At normal water level the water surface is at an elevation of 507.4 m above sea level, and the dead storage level is at 487.5 m elevation. The irrigation area is 7000 ha.

The long‑term average water temperature in the Khachinchay reservoir is 3.8 °C in January, 23.1 °C in August, and the highest temperature recorded was 30.5 °C on 13 June 1964. Ice events occur in some years in the form of shore ice.

History

During the Soviet Union period the Khachinchay reservoir was used for melioration purposes. At the same time, through this reservoir the water needs of the city of Aghdam and its surrounding settlements were met.

As a result of the occupation of the Aghdam district by the Armed Forces of Armenia in 1993, the reservoir could not be used for 27 years. After the Aghdam district was liberated from occupation, a monitoring team for water basins carried out monitoring of the Khachinchay reservoir in February 2021 and assessed the condition of the reservoir. As a result of the Ferruh operation carried out in March 2022, the Khachinchay reservoir fully returned to Azerbaijan’s control.

On 24 December 2023 President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva participated in the ceremony for the commissioning of the Khachinchay reservoir after repair and restoration.