Maly Uzen

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Maly Uzen (Russian: Малый Узень; Kazakh: Кіші Өзен, Kishi Ózen), known as the Saryozen in Kazakhstan,[1] is a river in Saratov Oblast of Russia and West Kazakhstan Province of Kazakhstan. It is 638 kilometres (396 mi) long, with a drainage basin of 18,250 square kilometres (7,050 sq mi),[2] 55% in Russia and 45% in Kazakhstan.[3] The river form part of the Kazakhstan–Russia border.

The Maly Uzen has its sources north of the town Yershov, on the western edge of the Obshchy Syrt plateau in Russia, and flows in a generally southerly direction over the steppes of the Caspian Depression. It terminates in Lake Sorajdyn of West-Kazakhstan, part of a network of small lakes and swamps called the .[3] The Maly Uzen runs parallel to the Bolshoy Uzen River, some 50 kilometres (31 mi) further east.

Most of the river's waters comes from melting snow, and its discharge it therefore at its peak in April, while in the summer parts of the river will dry up completely. At the village of Maly Uzen the discharge varies from 3.4 to 782 cubic metres per second (120 to 27,620 cu ft/s). The river freezes over in December, and stays icebound to the end of March or beginning of April.

The river is used for water supply and irrigation. Water quality tests conducted in 2005 in the Russian section indicated 'moderately polluted'.[3] A 2011 report by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe listed the discharge of wastewater, surface run-off, sediments and riverbank erosion as damaging to water quality.[1]

References[]

  1. ^ a b "Second Assessment of Transboundary Rivers, Lakes and Groundwaters" (PDF). UNECE. August 2011. p. 162.
  2. ^ Узень Большой и Малый, Great Soviet Encyclopedia
  3. ^ a b c "Drainage basin of the Caspian Sea" (PDF). UNECE. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2009-07-31. Retrieved 2007-01-11.

Coordinates: 51°22′59″N 48°19′05″E / 51.38306°N 48.31806°E / 51.38306; 48.31806

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