Azerbaijan to begin reconstruction of Sarsang Reservoir this year PHOTO

Azerbaijan plans to launch reconstruction works at the Sarsang Reservoir in the Aghdara district later this year, a senior water management official has said.

Ilham Guliyev, Deputy Chairman of the Board of the Regional Water Reclamation Service under the Azerbaijan State Water Resources Agency (ADSEA), said the project will mark 50 years since the reservoir’s construction in 1976 and will involve a programme of restoration works aimed at upgrading the facility, Caliber.Az reports. 

“As you know, the Sarsang Reservoir was built 50 years ago. In this regard, it is planned that reconstruction work will begin and be implemented this year,” Guliyev told journalists during a media tour.

He noted that significant rehabilitation work had already been carried out in 2022–2023 on the Sugovushan Reservoir, as well as on the left-bank and main canals of the Tartar River. According to him, the overhaul of the remaining right-bank canal will be completed once demining operations in the area are concluded.

Guliyev described the Sarsang Reservoir as a critical infrastructure asset, saying it supports irrigation across roughly 100,000 hectares of farmland spanning around six districts.

“The Sarsang Reservoir is of enormous importance,” he said, adding that water management in the area had previously been disrupted during periods of conflict.

He also outlined the scale of the facility, stating that the dam is 125 metres high and 555 metres long, with a maximum water depth of 103 metres. The reservoir has a total capacity of 560 million cubic metres, of which 500 million cubic metres is usable. It also supplies a 50-megawatt hydroelectric power station.

The reconstruction project is expected to form part of broader efforts to restore and modernise water infrastructure in Azerbaijan’s liberated territories.