The water resources of Tajikistan are mainly formed by melt water from glaciers and atmospheric precipitation. In total, the glaciers and snowfields of Tajikistan contain up to 500 cubic km of water. Most of them are located in the basins of the Obihingou, Gunt, Muksu rivers, in the high-mountainous part of the republic. The largest are the Fedchenko glacier and the Grumm-Grzhimailo glacier.
The west of Tajikistan is rich in rivers and reservoirs – there are about six hundred rivers in the country. Energy reserves in the rivers of Tajikistan are very large. The Vakhsh and Pyanj rivers, the Nurek reservoir and the Iskanderkul Lake have tremendous energy.
Glaciers and firn fields occupy about 6 % of the country’s territory. Over 1,300 lakes contain 44 cubic kilometers of water.
Most of the rivers in Tajikistan are the main and sometimes the only source of drinking water for nearby settlements and cities, which are located mainly along river beds, valleys and oases.