Kichi-Kemin River
Encyclopedia
The Kichi-Kemin River is a river in Kemin District
of Chuy Province
of Kyrgyzstan
and Korday District
of Kazakhstan
. It is a right tributary of the Chu River
in Chuy Valley
. It has a length of 81 km with a basin area of 614 km ².
in Kyrgyzstan. For about 10 km the river flows to the north and than to the west along Kyrgyzstan - Kazakhstan border from altitude of about 3500 m to 2500 m. The river passes through urban-type settlement
Ak-Tuz
and flows to the southwest in a narrow gorge. Further, it passes through village Imeni Il'icha
and enters Kichi-Kemin Valley
. The Kichi-Kemin River turns west and passes near villages Kichi-Kemin
, Boroldoy
, and Beysheke. It flows in parallel to Chu River
at a distance of 3–4 km and crosses Kyrgyzstan - Kazakhstan border. In Kazakhstan, in passes near villages Karasay batyr and Enbek gradually approaching Chu River, and flow into it near Chim-Kurgan
.
contaminated the river and lower part of Kichi-Kemin Valley
with thorium
, lead
, copper
, zinc
, beryllium
and other heavy metals.
.
Kemin District
Kemin is the northeast panhandle raion of Chuy Province in northern Kyrgyzstan. The capital lies at Kemin.: The district is located in Chong-Kemin Valley, Kichi-Kemin Valley, and eastern part of Chuy Valley...
of Chuy Province
Chuy Province
Chuy Province or Chui Province is the northernmost province of the Kyrgyz Republic. It is bounded on the north by Kazakhstan, and clockwise, Issyk Kul Province, Naryn Province, Jalal-Abad Province and Talas Province...
of Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan , officially the Kyrgyz Republic is one of the world's six independent Turkic states . Located in Central Asia, landlocked and mountainous, Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the southwest and China to the east...
and Korday District
Korday District
Korday is a district of Zhambyl Province in south-eastern Kazakhstan. The administrative center of the district is Korday town....
of Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
. It is a right tributary of the Chu River
Chu River
"Chui River" redirects here. For the South American Chuí or Chuy River, on the Brazil-Uruguay border and Brazil's southernmost point, see Chuí River. For the Nam Sam River or Chu River, on the Lao-Vietnam border, see Nam Sam River....
in Chuy Valley
Chuy Valley
The Chuy Valley is a large valley located in north Tian-Shan. It extends from Boom Gorge in the east to Moyun-Kum desert in the west. It borders Kyrgyz Ala-Too in the south, and Chu-Ili mountains in the north. Through Boom Gorge in the narrow east part Chuy Valley is linked with Issyk-Kul Valley...
. It has a length of 81 km with a basin area of 614 km ².
Course
The source of Kichi-Kemin River is high in the shoots of Trans-Ili AlatauTrans-Ili Alatau
Trans-Ili Alatau , , also spelt as Zailiyski Alatau, Zailiysk Alatau, etc., is a part of the Northern Tian Shan mountain system in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. It is the northernmost mountain range of Tian Shan stretching for about 350 km with maximal elevation of 4,973m . The term "Alatau" refers...
in Kyrgyzstan. For about 10 km the river flows to the north and than to the west along Kyrgyzstan - Kazakhstan border from altitude of about 3500 m to 2500 m. The river passes through urban-type settlement
Urban-type settlement
Urban-type settlement ; , selyshche mis'koho typu ) is an official designation for a type of locality used in some of the countries of the former Soviet Union...
Ak-Tuz
Ak-Tuz
Ak-Tuz is an urban-type settlement in the Kemin District of Chuy Province of Kyrgyzstan....
and flows to the southwest in a narrow gorge. Further, it passes through village Imeni Il'icha
Imeni Il'icha
Imeni Il'icha is a village in the Kemin District of Chuy Province of Kyrgyzstan....
and enters Kichi-Kemin Valley
Kichi-Kemin Valley
The Kichi-Kemin Valley is located in the east part of Chuy Valley in north Kyrgyzstan between mountains Kastek and Kemin. The middle part of the valley is flat, and the western part - terraced plain. There are a number of settlements located in the valley: Boroldoy, Imeni Il'icha, Ak-Tuz,...
. The Kichi-Kemin River turns west and passes near villages Kichi-Kemin
Kichi-Kemin
Kichi-Kemin is a village in the Kemin District of Chuy Province of Kyrgyzstan....
, Boroldoy
Boroldoy
Boroldoy is a village in the Kemin District, Chuy Province, Kyrgyzstan.. It is a center of Boroldoy rural community....
, and Beysheke. It flows in parallel to Chu River
Chu River
"Chui River" redirects here. For the South American Chuí or Chuy River, on the Brazil-Uruguay border and Brazil's southernmost point, see Chuí River. For the Nam Sam River or Chu River, on the Lao-Vietnam border, see Nam Sam River....
at a distance of 3–4 km and crosses Kyrgyzstan - Kazakhstan border. In Kazakhstan, in passes near villages Karasay batyr and Enbek gradually approaching Chu River, and flow into it near Chim-Kurgan
Chim-Kurgan
Chim-Kurgan is a village in the Chuy Province of Kyrgyzstan....
.
Contamination of the River
In 1964, mudflows damaged tailings pond No.2 located in vicinity of Kichi-Kemin River and 1.5 million meters3 of radioactive tailingsTailings
Tailings, also called mine dumps, slimes, tails, leach residue, or slickens, are the materials left over after the process of separating the valuable fraction from the uneconomic fraction of an ore...
contaminated the river and lower part of Kichi-Kemin Valley
Kichi-Kemin Valley
The Kichi-Kemin Valley is located in the east part of Chuy Valley in north Kyrgyzstan between mountains Kastek and Kemin. The middle part of the valley is flat, and the western part - terraced plain. There are a number of settlements located in the valley: Boroldoy, Imeni Il'icha, Ak-Tuz,...
with thorium
Thorium
Thorium is a natural radioactive chemical element with the symbol Th and atomic number 90. It was discovered in 1828 and named after Thor, the Norse god of thunder....
, lead
Lead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
, copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
, zinc
Zinc
Zinc , or spelter , is a metallic chemical element; it has the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is the first element in group 12 of the periodic table. Zinc is, in some respects, chemically similar to magnesium, because its ion is of similar size and its only common oxidation state is +2...
, beryllium
Beryllium
Beryllium is the chemical element with the symbol Be and atomic number 4. It is a divalent element which occurs naturally only in combination with other elements in minerals. Notable gemstones which contain beryllium include beryl and chrysoberyl...
and other heavy metals.
Environmental Monitoring
The Kyrgyz State Agency on Hydrometeorology runs two water quality monitoring stations on the Kichi-Kemin River: one of them is located in 3 km upstream and another in 8 km downstream of Ak-TuzAk-Tuz
Ak-Tuz is an urban-type settlement in the Kemin District of Chuy Province of Kyrgyzstan....
.