Jetysu (Seven Rivers)
The Altyn-Emel National Park is located in the historical and geographical region of Jetysu (Semirechye, or Seven Rivers). It is still not known for certain which rivers gave this territory its name. According to various sources, these are Ili (Ile), Karatal, Bien, Aksu, Lepsy, Baskan, Sarkand (Sarkan), Chu (Shu), Tentek, Koksu, Ayaguz, as well as the tributaries of the Ili river - Charyn (Sharyn), Chilik (Shelek), Turgen (Turgen), Issyk (Esik), Talgar and Kaskelen. But there is no doubt that the main river of Jetysu is Ili.
The Ili river originates in the Central Tien Shan in China and flows into the Balkhash lake in Kazakhstan, desalting its western part.
The length of the Ili river is 1439 km, of which 815 km (56.6%) falls on the territory of the Almaty region, where it is the largest river in the region and one of the largest rivers in the country. Ili is the third river in Kazakhstan in terms of water content after the rivers of Irtysh and Ural.
The river basin area is 140,000 sq.km, the delta area is 9,000 sq.km.
The Ili river freezes at the end of November, the ice drift begins at the beginning of April. The average ice thickness is about half a meter.
The name of the Ili river is ancient, presumably associated with the Mongolian word ilansu - "sparkling".
The wizard Balkhash had a beautiful daughter Ili. The fame of her went all over the steppe. Her suitors, rich bais and khans, began to woo her, but they all seemed to the girl unworthy of her beauty. Then Balkhash decided to arrange a competition for the suitors.
"Whoever turns out to be the most intelligent, dexterous and strongest, will take Ili as wife", announced the wizard.
Karatal heard about this. The young man was very poor. But he had a pair of beautiful horses, and was agile, strong and brave. Karatal also went to the wizard's palace to try his luck. Balkhash did not want even to talk to the poor horseman. But Ili fell in love with him at first sight. She begged her father to allow Karatal to take part in the competition of suitors. Karatal beat young bais and khans in the wrestling and races. However, Balkhash did not keep his word. He refused to have a poor horseman as a son-in-law. The beauty cried all day, and at night Karatal secretly came to her and offered:
"If you love me - let's run away!"
Ili gladly agreed. On the same night they raced off on the horses of Karatal. Balkhash learned about it. In an angry voice that sounded stronger than thunder across the steppe, he ordered the fugitives to stop. But Ili and Karatal did not want to return. They rushed to the native village of Karatal. Then the wizard went to the steppe and turned into a huge lake at the feet of the horses of the fugitives. Since then, it has been called by his name - Balkhash. The wizard turned Ili and Karatal into stormy rivers flowing into this lake in different places. For many centuries they have been seething and rolling, trying in vain to merge into one*.
*Ili and Karatal are parallel rivers flowing into the Balkhash lake.
Tributaries
The Altyn-Emel National Park is located on the right bank of the Ili river, which forms its natural border in the south.
The territory of the Altyn-Emel park is a part of the Upper-Ili water management region, the main watercourses of which are:
- Tekes, Narynkol, Bayankol rivers (Tekes river basin, Raiymbek district of Almaty region);
- Big and Small Ketmensai streams (rivers of the left slope of the Ketmen ridge, Uygur district of Almaty region);
- Khorgos, Usek, Borokhudzir rivers (rivers of the southern slope of Dzhungarian Alatau, Panfilov and Kerbulak districts of Almaty region);
- Sharyn (Charyn), Karkara rivers (basin of the Sharyn river, Panfilov, Kerbulak and Raiymbek districts of Almaty region);
- Shelek (Chilik), Turgen, Esik (Issyk), Talgar, Kaskelen rivers (basin of the rivers of the Big Almaty Canal, Enbekshikazakh, Kerbulak and Karasai districts of Almaty region).
Environmental Threat
The freshwater ecosystem of the Ili river creates favorable conditions for the diversity of local flora and fauna: fish (28 species), amphibians, birds (in the delta of the Ili river, the richest species composition of birds is found).
However, at present, the water in the Ili river is much polluted, mainly from the side of China; consequently, this adversely affects aquatic organisms.
Both the rise in the water level and its decrease affect the stability of the aquatic ecosystems, especially in shallow waters, and lead to a reduction or termination of nesting of migratory birds.
At present, the shallowing and drying up of floodplain lakes, shallow floodplain part of the river leads to disappearance of usual fish spawning grounds and decrease in the number of fish-eating birds.
The high water level during man-made floods, along with the current speed, causes increased erosion of the right bank of the Ili river with tugais. After overflows of the river, patrol roads become impassable, the soil turns into a salt marsh.
There is also a significant siltation of the river and the Kapchagai reservoir due to the high silt content in the river water. In this regard, the conditions for the reproduction of the fish population in Kapchagai are deteriorating.
