THE RIVERS OF BAIKAL

The Angara

The Angara is one of the biggest and most unique rivers of east Siberia. The general length of the Angara is 1779 kms. It flows from Lake Baikal with a powerful stream of 1,1 kms width and up to 1,8 - 1,9 m depth. The average charge of water in the source is 1920 cubic m/sec. The Angara runs into the Yenisei 83 kms up the city of Yeniseisk. The water-modular area of the Angara, including Baikal, is 1039000 sq. km. The length of the Angara within the limits of Irkutsk region is 1360 kms.

In the Angara basin, within the limits of the region, there are totaled 38195 various rivers with the common extent of 162603 kms, which is four times more than the circle of the Earth on the equator.
The Angara flows on the territory of Irkutsk region from the south to the north. Its valley is well developed. At separate sites it extends up to 12 - 15 kms, and in some places is narrowed up to 300 - 400 m.

A distinctive feature of the Angara is that it is situated in rather severe climate conditions, but ice on it comes later, than on other rivers of Siberia and even in the European part of Russia. It may be explained by its fast flow and incoming of rather warm deep waters from Baikal.

Irkutsk, Bratsk, Ust-Ylimsk hydroelectric power stations are constructed on the Angara. As a result of it the Angara has turned to a line of water basins and a deep-water lake-river highway.
Creation of the cascade of hydroelectric power stations and water basins has brought in basic changes to a hydrobiological regime of the Angara, has strongly complicated natural connection of the river with Baikal, has led to significant transformation of the specific structure of flora and fauna.

The largest left-hand inflows of the Angara are the Irkut, the Kitoy, the Belaya, the Oka, the Uda, the Buryusa; right-hand inflows are small - the Ushakovka, the Kuda, the Ida, the Osa, the Uda, the Ilym.

In the middle of the source the Shaman Rock is seen which is mentioned in many legends. According to one of the legends angry Baikal threw this rock after his daughter Angara which had run away without his permission to her beloved Yenisei.

In antiquity local residents of Angarsk Region allocated it with a miracle power. According to the ancient beliefs especially important shaman ceremonies were conducted on the Shaman Rock, oathes were read and prayers were said. A criminal used to be brought here for the night and left all by his own above a cold, chilling stream. If the water did not take him away, and he did not perish for fear and ice cold breath of Baikal, it became forgiven.

Opposite the Shaman Rock there is a viewing platform near to which souvenirs , grocery, boats hire shops work in summer.

The source seems especially unusual in winter. The river soars all the winter long, decorating the nearby wood with snow laces.

Waterfowls arrive here from time immemorial for wintering. It is the unique constant wintering in northern Asia. Among the birds wintering here prevail black-and-white gogols, long-nosed and usual krokhals. The birds appear in November for wintering. At the beginning of December 1200 - 1500 ducks gather in the source of the river Angara, by the end of the month - not less than 2000.

Since the water basin of Irkutsk hydroelectric power stations was created in 1956, the size of the ice-hole has decreased from 10 - 15 up to 3 - 4 kms. Because of this huge size reduction and its depth increasing the amount of wintering birds has been reduced from ten thousand up to 2 - 3,5 thousand.
The shallow source gives food to ducks in winter. Every evening they fly away for a night to Baikal hummocks, and in the afternoon they float to the ice-hole.

The Kitoy

The Kitoy is one of the large left-hand inflows of the Angara. It runs into the Angara downstream from the dam of Irkutsk hydroelectric power stations. The Kitoy is formed from the merge of two small rivers - the Samarin and the Zhatkhos, originating on the Nukhu-Daban height, near the Irkut source. The length of the Kitoy is 316 kms, the area of the basin - 9190 sq. km, the falling differential is 1500 m. The basic part of the river basin is located in high mountains, only its lower part is situated in a flat region. 2009 rivers with the common extent of 5332 kms run In the Kitoy.

The Kitoy uses underground, atmospheric and partly glacial water. The atmospheric precipitation has the greatest value. The least water levels take place at the end of winter and at the beginning of spring. The highest levels are in summer. During intensive rains the height of water rising reaches 4 m.

The Kitoy freezes in November, and loses its ice in April.

The Belaya

The Belaya runs into the Angara 106 kms down Irkutsk. It is formed from the merge of the Big Belaya and the Small Belaya, originating in the zone of the East Sayany Mountains at the height up to 2500 m. The length of the river is 359 kms, the area of the basin is 18000 sq. km, the falling differential is 1750 m.

The Belaya proceeds on a populated mountain territory. Its coast is picturesque and quite often breaks steep rocks to a channel. In the top and in the middle watercourse there are thresholds and waterfalls. 1573 rivers and with the general extent of 7417 kms proceed in the Belaya's basin.
The supply of the Belaya is mixed. The main source (more than 60 %) is rains. Rainfalls in the basin of the Belaja deposits cause sharp rises of water levels up to 8 m.
The Belaya was used for rafting the wood felled in its basin.

The Selenga

The largest inflow of Baikal. The river has its source in the territory of the Mongolian Republic where it is formed from the merge of the rivers Ider and Muren. The total length of the Selenga is 1591 kms. The area of the basin is 445000 sq. km, the annual drain is 28,9 cubic Km.
The Selenga gives half of all weight of the water flowing into Baikal from all of its inflows. It runs into the lake with several streams in a wide marshy lowland forming the delta which is put forward far to Baikal.

The name "Selenga" occurs from the Evenk "sele" - iron. Other version of its origin is from the Buryat "selenge", that means - smooth, spacious, quiet.

The Barguzin

It is the third, after the Selenga and the Verkhnaya Angara, in water volume inflow of Baikal. It originates from slopes of the Bargusin ridge. The river gives to Baikal 7 % of its common annual amount of water. The Bargusin flows in the Bargusin hollow. The length of the river is 480 kms. Its falling differential from the source up to the mouth is 1344 m. The area of the basin of the river is 19800 sq. km, the annual drain is 3,54 cube Km.

The name of the river goes from the word ancient Mongol-speaking tribe related to Buryats, who lived in The Bargusin valley a long time ago. "Baguts" occurs from the Buryat "barga" which means backwoods, surburb.

The rivers of the Hamar-Daban

Slopes of the ridge are cut by deep and narrow river valleys.

There are a lot of canyons with big steep walls and picturesque rocks. The rivers Snezhnaya, Utulik, Langutay, Selenginka, Hara-Murin, Pereyomnaya have such canyons. Canyons are fairly considered to be almost impassable, and when they have a lot of water - absolutely impassable. The abundance of cataract and waterfalls is typical for the rivers. Sites of the rivers in places where they break through a ridge are especially beautiful. Their channels are short, with abrupt falling. There are a lot of lakes in the Hamar-Daban. The biggest of them are Patovoye, Tagley, Sobolinnoje. And there are dozens of small lakes and waterfalls.

O.K.Yelina Director of the Departament of Nature
The source is CD "The Planet of Baikal. Photo-album Summer)"