Usoi Dam, Natural dam in Pamir Mountains, Tajikistan
The Usoi Dam is a natural barrier of rock and debris in the Pamir Mountains of Tajikistan. The barrier blocks the Murgab River and forms Lake Sarez behind it, which stretches nearly 60 kilometers through a narrow valley.
An earthquake in 1911 triggered a massive landslide that blocked the valley and dammed the river. Water gradually accumulated behind the blockage, filling the valley over the following decades.
The dam is named after the village of Usoi, which the 1911 landslide buried completely; the village of Sarez was destroyed as well, and 90 people died. Downstream, the villages of the Savnob jamoat in Murghob District lie only about two kilometres from the dam along the Bartang, and sirens installed in the valleys are meant to warn them.
Access to the area requires mountain roads that can be traveled by drivers with high-altitude experience. Permits are necessary because the site lies in a remote and monitored zone.
The weight of the impounded water presses heavily on the fragile material, and scientists watch for possible cracks that could develop over time. A breach would affect settlements downstream in several countries.
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