List of rivers of Irad

This is a list of rivers of Irad, arranged by drainage basin. All of Irad's rivers end in closed (endorheic) basins: the Chu and the Talas die out in the deserts of the north, and the Naryn, the Chatkal and the streams of the Fergana Range feed the Syr Darya, which flows toward the Aral Sea. Most of them rise in the mountains on the tribal side of the Qara-Chik Demarcation Line and are used for irrigation in the valleys of the Irad Special Economic Zone (ISEZ), so that the lower Chu and Talas carry little water in July and August.^[1][2]

The first sections list the rivers, streams and dry washes that have articles on Irad Wiki, with tributaries indented under the river they join. The last section lists other rivers of 30 kilometers or more shown on the Kartalar map of Attelkom. Rivers in the ISEZ are given by district and those in the Autonomous Tribal Regions (ATR) by planning zone. For lakes, see List of lakes and reservoirs of Irad.^[3]

Chu basin

• Chu (c. 1,070 km): rises in the Tian Shan of Kyrgyzstan, enters Irad regulated by the Orto-Sai Reservoir upstream, crosses the irrigated lowlands of Chu District (ISEZ) past Nurzhan and ends in the sands near the Akzhaykyn Depression, Northern Steppe zone (ATR)
  • Boz-Suu (c. 48 km): from the northern slopes of the western Kyrgyz Range into the Chu lowlands; most of its water is diverted into the Chu canals at a weir of 1958, Chu District (ISEZ)
  • Kyzyl-Suu: red-silt river from the western Kyrgyz Range, prone to floods and mudflows in the spring melt, Chu District (ISEZ)
• Canals of the lower Chu: Chu Irrigation Canal System (c. 1,200 km of main and secondary canals serving more than 80,000 hectares), Eski-Aryk (c. 19 km), Jangy-Aryk (c. 25 km) and Dastgoh Creek (c. 3 km, in Nurzhan)

Talas basin

• Talas (c. 661 km; basin c. 52,700 km²): rises at the eastern head of the Talas valley below the Otmek Pass, flows west past Talas and then north and northwest into the Moiynkum sands, where it dies out; the Kyzyl-Adyr Reservoir (until 1993 the Kirov Reservoir) on its lower course stores water for the farms of the lower valley^[4]
  • Kashka-Suu: glacier-fed left (southern) tributary from the Talas Alatau, with three small hydroelectric plants built in the 2010s, Talas District (ISEZ)
  • Kara-Suu: left tributary that leaves the mountains by the limestone Kara-Suu Canyon south of Talas; on its upper course are the Kara-Suu Rapids, Talas Alatau zone (ATR), and in the lower canyon the 18-megawatt Kara-Suu Hydroelectric Station
  • Besh-Tash: left tributary draining the valley of Besh-Tash National Park, c. 43 km on the Kartalar map; its upper valley and glacial lakes are tribal, Talas Alatau zone (ATR)
  • Muz-Suu (c. 26 km): glacier-fed river joining the Talas in Talas District (ISEZ); the outburst flood from Muz-Köl at its head damaged a bridge and houses in 2016
  • Köl-Sai: torrent draining a moraine-dammed glacial lake, which burst in July 2012
  • Urmaral: cold tributary joining the Talas from the south at Tegirmen, west of the capital, with trout farms; the Sary-Bulak railway spur climbs its gorge, Talas District (ISEZ)
  • Kenkol: left tributary joining the Talas at Karool-Döbö, near Ming-Örük; its upper gorge is Chong-Kenkol, below the Kenkol Pass
  • Kara-Buura: rises on the tribal side of the western Talas Alatau and flows north into the lower valley, where its water is almost entirely taken for irrigation, Kara-Buura District (ISEZ)
  • Kashkar-Aryk (c. 5 km): spring-fed stream and canal through the gardens of northern Talas, partly culverted in the 1970s
  • Kuru-Say (c. 35 km): dry wash draining north across the lower valley toward the Kazakh border, which carries water only in spring; its flood of April 1998 cut the Trans-Talas Highway, Kara-Buura District (ISEZ)

Syr Darya basin

Naryn

• Naryn (c. 807 km; basin c. 59,900 km²): main headstream of the Syr Darya; enters Irad from Kyrgyzstan through deep gorges, fills the Toktogul Reservoir, passes the Naryn cascade of hydroelectric stations and leaves the mountains at Tash-Kömür for the Fergana Valley, where it joins the Kara-Darya^[5]
  • Uch-Terek Rapids: rapids of grades III and IV over about 6 km above the head of the reservoir, Toktogul District (ISEZ)
  • Uzun-Akmat (c. 100 km): drains the southern slopes of the eastern Talas Alatau and part of the Aksay Plateau and enters the reservoir below Ozgörüsh; the Uzun-Akmat Terraces and the Tar-Kapchygai gorge lie on its course, Chatkal Highlands zone (ATR)
  • Suusamyr: rises near the Aksay Plateau and flows east through the Suusamyr valley; below it, with the Western Karakol, it forms the Kökömeren, a right tributary of the Naryn, Kyrgyz Range–Suusamyr zone (ATR)
  • Chychkan: right tributary, c. 80 km on the Kartalar map, whose valley carries State Route 1 down from the Fergana Gateway to the Toktogul basin, Toktogul District (ISEZ)
  • Kara-Suu: left tributary entering the reservoir from the east, c. 63 km on the Kartalar map, Toktogul–Naryn zone (ATR)
  • Khunuk Creek: spring-fed stream from the Fergana Range foothills through Shahr-i Khunuk to the Naryn at the upstream end of Iyık Janyl, Lower Naryn District (ISEZ)

Chatkal

• Chatkal (c. 220 km): drains the trough between the Talas Alatau and the Chatkal Range southwest into Uzbekistan, where it enters the Charvak Reservoir and becomes the main source of the Chirchik, Chatkal Highlands zone (ATR)
  • Ak-Balyk Creek: clear, cold spring-fed trout creek, fished by line only
  • Altyn-Say (c. 22 km): gold-bearing stream from the south; mercury has been banned in its basin since 2012
  • Chakmak-Say (c. 18 km): seasonal torrent on the western slopes of the range, flowing only from April to June
  • Chandalash: tributary of about 77 km on the Kartalar map

Kara-Darya and the Fergana Rim

• Kara-Darya: river of the eastern Fergana Valley, which joins the Naryn in Uzbekistan to form the Syr Darya; its right-bank tributaries drain the southern slopes of the Fergana Range and water the farm belt around Bazar-Korgon in Lower Naryn District (ISEZ)^[6]
  • Kara-Unkur (Kara-Üngkür on the Kartalar map, c. 79 km): drains the valley of Arslanbob (see also Arslanbob Falls) and flows past Bazar-Korgon, Fergana Rim zone (ATR) and Lower Naryn District (ISEZ)
  • Mailuu-Suu (Mayluu-Suu on the Kartalar map, c. 72 km): flows past the Soviet uranium tailings at Mailuu-Suu, Fergana Rim zone (ATR)
  • Kök-Art (c. 117 km on the Kartalar map): flows south from the Kök-Art Pass, Fergana Rim zone (ATR)
• Tuura-Say: dry wash on the northern rim of the Fergana Valley west of the Naryn, draining about 120 km² of foothills; its mudflow of May 2005 buried orchards in the villages below, Chatkal Highlands zone (ATR)

Western Talas Alatau

• Ak-Suu: river of the western Talas Alatau flowing west toward the Arys, with the Ak-Suu Canyon and the Ak-Suu Mineral Springs in the Aksu-Zhabagly nature reserve, Talas Alatau zone (ATR)

Other rivers on the Kartalar map

Other rivers of 30 kilometers or more that the Kartalar map shows wholly or partly within Irad. Lengths are those of the course drawn on the map and may cover only the part in Irad; names are given as the map spells them.^[3]

See also

• Geography of Irad
• List of natural features of Irad
• Glacier retreat in Irad
• Climate of Irad

References

1. ^ Talas State University, Faculty of Geography (2018). Physical Geography of Irad. Talas State University Press, Talas, pp. 98–131.
2. ^ Central Asian Water Authority (2022). Hydrological Regimes of the Talas and Chu Basins: 1990–2020. UNECE Water Convention Report, Geneva.
3. ^ Attelkom (2026). 'Kartalar: Attelkom Maps.' Talas.
4. ^ Talas River Hydrological Monitoring Service (2023). Annual Hydrological Bulletin of the Talas Basin. Talas.
5. ^ United Nations Mission in Irad (2023). Naryn Cascade: Annual Technical Review. Kara-Oi.
6. ^ Talas State University Press (2018). Towns of the Fergana Rim: History and Society. Talas.