Lake Sarez Poses Catastrophic Flood Risk to Central Asia, Dubbed 'Sword of Damocles'
Lake Sarez, located in the Pamir Mountains of Tajikistan at 10,700 feet above sea level, is being referred to by experts as Central Asia's 'Sword of Damocles' due to the immense flood risk it presents. The lake formed in 1911 after a 7.7 magnitude earthquake caused a massive rockslide, creating the Usoi Dam, the world's tallest natural dam at over 1,500 feet high. Over the past century, the lake has grown to approximately 40 miles long and over 1,600 feet deep, holding four cubic miles of water. The primary concern is that another major landslide into the lake could generate a displacement wave, overtopping the Usoi Dam and unleashing a destructive flood. This flood could begin as high as 1,000 feet and inundate the narrow Bartang, Pyanj, and Amu Darya river valleys, affecting Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan. The region's glaciers are melting at an accelerated rate due to climate change, increasing the instability of the surrounding slopes and making a landslide more likely. 
