Doosti Dam
The 78-metre earth-fill embankment dam with a silty-clay core spans 655 metres and forms a shared Iran–Turkmenistan reservoir on the Hari River. Effective shared water rights total 820 million cubic metres, divided equally between Iran and Turkmenistan.
Strategic and market-access role
Doosti Dam is a strategically sensitive water asset in the Hormuz Graph because it is tied to the Harirud river system and the Iran-Turkmenistan border region, where water security has direct implications for Mashhad, agriculture, public utilities, and cross-border resource management. Its role connects eastern Iran’s urban water demand, environmental stress, diplomatic water exposure, and infrastructure resilience. The asset is less relevant as a private investment target and more as a context marker for water scarcity, regional utility pressure, and long-term settlement and industrial constraints in Razavi Khorasan.
Operations, capacity & connectivity
Related use cases
Useful for water-security analysis, public-infrastructure monitoring, climate and environmental risk assessment, urban-services screening, and evaluation of utility-related demand in northeast Iran. Investors can use it to understand how water constraints around Mashhad and border districts affect agriculture, industrial siting, real estate resilience, and public procurement opportunities. Any assessment should verify current hydrological conditions, allocation rules, and cross-border water-management factors.
Capacity and service area
Capacity: Reservoir total capacity: 1.25 billion cubic metres. Active capacity: 735 million cubic metres. Installed hydropower capacity: 16 MW from three Francis turbines. Service area: Mashhad and the Sarakhs plain in Iran for drinking-water supply; the Sarakhs plain for irrigation.
Industries served
Water utilities; irrigated agriculture; hydropower.
Ownership, operation & expansion
Owner and operator
Owner: Razavi Khorasan Regional Water Authority (Iran); Ministry of Water & Land Reclamation (Turkmenistan). Operator: Razavi Khorasan Regional Water Authority (Iran); Ministry of Water & Land Reclamation (Turkmenistan).
Opening or commissioning
Completed in 2004 and officially opened on 12 April 2005.
Constraints, risk & compliance
Operational constraints
Water availability and operating outcomes depend on Hari River inflows and cross-border water management. Current allocation rules and recent management arrangements were not verified in the evidence reviewed.
Key risks and compliance considerations
Transboundary water-management exposure and variability in river inflows. Current discharge, water deliveries and power-output data were not verified.
Connected Intelligence
Relevant geography, industry, market and execution context for this profile.
Frequently asked questions
Direct answers to the questions most likely to arise when reviewing this profile.
Where is Doosti Dam located?
Doosti Dam is located on the Hari River (Hariroud) at the Iran–Turkmenistan border near Sarakhs, in Razavi Khorasan Province, Iran.
What is Doosti Dam used for?
The dam supports drinking-water supply for Mashhad and the Sarakhs plain, irrigation in the Sarakhs plain, and hydropower generation.
What is the capacity of Doosti Dam?
The reservoir has a reported total capacity of 1.25 billion cubic metres and a reported active capacity of 735 million cubic metres. Its hydropower installation is rated at 16 MW.
When did Doosti Dam open?
The dam was completed in 2004 and officially opened on 12 April 2005.