In the Balkan velayat of Turkmenistan, the Mammetsköl and Delili reservoirs have completely lost their water. According to information provided by "Meteojournal," this is due to a prolonged drought caused by a lack of precipitation during the winter period of 2024/2025, as well as the absence of replenishment from the Etrek River (Atrek).
As of November 2024, the water surface area of Mammetsköl was 3.26 km², while Delili was 0.2 km². However, by March 2025, the area of Mammetsköl had decreased to 2.5 km², while Delili had nearly completely dried up, dropping to 0.08 km².
By May 2025, the Mammetsköl reservoir had shrunk to 0.65 km², and Delili had no water left. Since the beginning of June 2025, Mammetsköl found itself in the same condition. The last time Mammetsköl dried up was in October 2021, and it remained without water until August 2023, when it was filled due to heavy flooding.
Mammetsköl was put into operation in 1964 with a total volume of 20.5 million cubic meters, of which the useful volume is 17.9 million. The Delili reservoir began functioning in 1970, with total and useful volumes of 5.32 million cubic meters.
According to data from the Etrek meteorological station, from January to November 2025, precipitation was within normal limits only in February and March; in other months, the amounts were significantly below average values. In January, the precipitation level was only 1.6 mm, and in May — 1.4 mm. There was no rain from June to August, and autumn also turned out to be dry.
The deterioration of the water supply situation in the first half of 2025 was due to a lack of precipitation, which caused a hydrological drought in water bodies and rivers not part of the Amu Darya basin. This negatively affected water levels in the Murghab and Tejen reservoirs. Artificial water bodies, which depend on the Atrek River, have completely dried up. In the autumn period, the water supply situation in the reservoirs of the Amu Darya basin also worsened.
