Summary:  Irtysh-Karaganda Canal

Country:  Kazakhstan

Overview:  The Irtysh-Karaganda Canal is officially known as the Kanysh Satpayev Canal since Kazakhstan declared independence in 1991. It was designed to transport water up-slope from the Irtysh River to the industrial center of Karagandy. The canal follows the path of the Karagandy River most of the way. A series of reservoirs were constructed along the route for water storage, which is used for irrigation, domestic supply, and industrial activities. The system is reported to include 22 pumping stations, 17 bridges, and 11 hydroelectric plants. However, only 2 hydroelectric plants were identified in this project with the other 9 thought to be associated with pumping stations along the route. Unclear at this point to what extent the canal is still operating due to various social, economic, and environmental challenges (Alagh et al. 2006). 

Initial Construction (Years):  1962-1974

Managing Agency:  Kanysh Satpayev Canal Water Utility Company (Label in Google Maps)

Major Source:  Irtysh River 

Major Destination:  Karagandy, KZ. 

Construction Type:  Canal 

Length (Irtysh River to Terminus I-K Canal):  289 miles  (465 km)

Maximum Capacity:  Pump capacity at Irtysh River reported to be 75 cu. m. per sec (2.3652 cubic km per year) (Prokhorov 1979).  Or  2,400 million cu m. per year (Alagh et al. 2006)

Average Transport:  Unknown, but in 2006 it was reported to be greatly reduced due to issues such as loss from evaporation and seepage, mercury pollution of Nura River; economic collapse of KazKarmet steel works at Karaganda that funded operation and maintenance of the canal (Alagh et al. 2006).

Google Earth File

Download Google Earth File (KMZ format)

Creative Commons License (CC-BY):  This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

How to cite this work:   Chaney, P.L.  2021.  Irtysh-Karaganda Canal AU. [Google Earth File].  The IBT Water Project.  https://www.auburn.edu/cosam/faculty/geosciences/chaney/ibtwater/irtysh-karaganda.htm

References

Alagh, Y. K., Pangare, G., and Gujja, B., (eds). 2006.  Interlinking of Rivers in India: Overview and Ken-Betwa Link.  Academic Foundation. New Delhi, India.  p. 70.    https://books.google.com/books?id=cRzAKkRBok4C&pg=PA70#v=onepage&q&f=false. 

L’vovich, M. I.  1979.  World Water Resources and Their Future.  American Geophysical Union. Chelsea, Michigan, U.S.A.  p. 344.   https://books.google.com/books?id=TxJUOqTKtAIC&pg=PA344#v=onepage&q&f=false.  

Prokhorov, A.M. (ed.) 1979.  Irtysh-Karaganda Canal. The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition.   https://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Irtysh-Karaganda+Canal.   

Wikipedia Contributors. 2016. Irtysh-Karagandy Canal. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Last edited on 25 October 2016.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irtysh%E2%80%93Karaganda_Canal.  Last Accessed: 04 November 2018.

WikiWikiup. 2016. Irtysh-Karaganda Canal.  [Video File]. You Tube. Published on Sep 25, 2016.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1lG1jRU8-k. 

Request for Assistance:  Missing and conflicting information is an ongoing challenge in this project. Although significant effort has been made to map the IBTs main route and key features, some important details may have been missed. We apologize in advance for any errors and request your assistance in making necessary revisions. 

Last Updated: 01 April 2021