The Alamüdün ( ky, Аламүдүн, ) or Alamedin (russian: Аламеди́н) river is a left
tributary
A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainag ...
of the
Chu
Chu or CHU may refer to:
Chinese history
* Chu (state) (c. 1030 BC–223 BC), a state during the Zhou dynasty
* Western Chu (206 BC–202 BC), a state founded and ruled by Xiang Yu
* Chu Kingdom (Han dynasty) (201 BC–70 AD), a kingdom of the Ha ...
in Northern
Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan,, pronounced or the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the south, and the People's Republic of China to the ea ...
.
Water from the river is substantially redirected for irrigation, and the
Alamüdün District
Alamüdün ( ky, Аламүдүн району) is a district of Chüy Region in northern Kyrgyzstan. Its area is , and its resident population was 188,484 in 2021. Its administrative seat is Lebedinovka. The district surrounds Bishkek, but does ...
of
Chüy Region
Chüy Region ( ky, Чүй облусу, Chüy oblusu; russian: Чуйская область, Chuyskaya oblast) is the northernmost region (''oblast'') of the Kyrgyz Republic. This region surrounds the national capital of Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek. It ...
is named after the river.
The river is long, and has a drainage basin of .
[Основные гидрографические характеристики рек Чуйского бассейна](_blank)
/ref> or 417 km².glacier
A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires distinguishing features, such a ...
on the northern slope of the Kyrgyz Ala-Too range. In the upper parts the flow is turbulent, and it passes through narrow mountain gorges. As it enters the Chüy Valley, the river bed widens and becomes less steep. The river flows through the city of Bishkek
Bishkek ( ky, Бишкек), ), formerly Pishpek and Frunze, is the capital and largest city of Kyrgyzstan. Bishkek is also the administrative centre of the Chüy Region. The region surrounds the city, although the city itself is not part of ...
, where its channel has been reinforced with concrete barriers, from south to north.
Within the watershed of the river there are 22 small lakes with a total surface area of 0.8 km² and 53 glaciers with an area of 74.2 km².
Snow-melt in the summer (May through September) results in high waters, and low-water occurs in the winter. The river has 33 small tributaries, the largest of which is the Chungkurchak, at 19 km long.[
]
Social import
There is a water draw-off at the entrance to the Alamüdün Gorge in the Chüy Valley, not far from the village of Kök-Jar.
Villages on the banks of the Alamüdün include Kök-Jar, Tash-Moynok, Besh-Künggöy, and Alamüdün.
There have been reports that the river fills with garbage. It has also been reported that waste water from certain facilities has been polluting the river, making it unsafe as a source of drinking water.
In July 2015, the river flooded in the village of Arashan. Relief efforts were hindered by the fact that heavy equipment could not be transported through the village due to narrow streets.В селе Арашан река Аламедин вышла из берегов
/ref>
References
{{Chuy-geo-stub
Rivers of Kyrgyzstan