Genaw Pond

About

Genaw Pond (Kurdish, Gomî Genaw) is a pond in Ranya District, within Sulaymaniyah Governorate, in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. It is located approximately 50 km from the center of Ranya District. The lake is also known as "Qurago Pond" or "the Purple Pond", due to its distinctive coloration which is not uncommon in such lakes, where the still waters contain elevated levels of sulfur, leading to the proliferation of diverse types of algae and bacteria. As temperatures increase, the water level declines, reducing the dissolved oxygen concentration in the water, which causes the algae to take on a purple or red.

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