A great deal of water has been removed from the Aral Basin by the diversion of water from the Amu Darya River (which feeds the Aral Sea.) Water from the Amu Darya is diverted into the Karakum Canal in Turkmenistan, near Afghanistan. The Karakum Canal, at 1400 km (850 miles), is the world's longest canal. It runs parallel to the boundaries of Afghanistan and Iran. It was begun in 1954 and water started flowing in the canal in 1956. The Karakum Canal goes west from the Amu Darya River into the Kara Kum Desert.

AMU DARYA RIVER

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