Kuma river: description and photo

The Kuma River in the Stavropol Territory flows mainly only in this area, which is covered with sand. The name of the stream is associated with this particular feature. From the Turkic language the word "kum" is translated as "sand". The history of the river begins in the I-III centuries BC. Already in these times, historians note the presence of the first settlers on the lands near the basin, who were engaged in agriculture, cattle breeding, first crafts appeared. In the XI-XIII centuries, the river Kuma was equipped with Polovtsian rates; The inhabitants themselves called themselves "kumans". Today, along the reservoir, the cities of Mineralnye Vody, Budennovsk, Alexandria and Suvorovskaya, Krasnokumskoye, Levokumskoye, Soldato-Aleksandrovskoye, Arkhangelskoye and Praskoveya are located. More than 350 thousand people live on the banks of the Kuma river today.

Geography of the river

Kuma originates from the village of Verkhnyaya Mara, Karachay-Cherkess Republic, on the northern slopes of the Rocky Range (altitude about 2100 meters). Here the pond can be called a mountain river. In the area of Mineralnye Vody, the stream spills into the plain, where its current is more calm. It ends in the Nogai steppe. In the Caspian lowland near the city of Neftekumsk, the Kuma River is divided into several small branches that move towards the Caspian Sea, but it is not reached. In total, the flow takes place immediately in four regions of our country: the republics of Dagestan, Kalmykia, Karachay-Cherkessia and in the Stavropol Territory.

Tributaries

The length of the river is 802 km, the area of its basin is 33,500 square km. In the village of Krasnokumsk (Georgievsky district), a tributary flows into Kumu-r. Bastard. It refers to right-bank internal flows. In order to understand to which basin the watercourse belongs, it is necessary to determine where the Kuma River flows into. It is about the Caspian Sea.

In addition, the Daria and Zolka rivers flow into the right part of the reservoir. In the left - Tomuzlovka, Dry Karamik, Wet Karamyk, Surkul, Dry Buffalo, Wet Buffalo.

Characteristic

The Kuma River feeds mainly on precipitation and melting snow. From late November to early March, it is icebound, in March-April, ice melts, a pond is poured. In the recent past, high floods were recorded during the spring periods, and floods are also frequent here. From March to June there is a high water. In summer, the water level can rise to 5 meters.
The average annual water discharge is 10.6 cubic meters. M, the average flow rate was fixed at 0.33 m3. Km per year.

The peculiarity of the river Kuma is its muddy waters. This is due to the high content of suspended particles. According to sources, about 600 thousand tons of material is carried out annually. In the periods of floods and floods, this indicator increases significantly. In this regard, the river Kuma is used mainly for irrigation of the arid lands of the region.

Prior to the city of Mineralnye Vody, the current of this stream is predominantly mountainous, and after reaching the flat region it becomes more calm.

Water quality

The quality of the water in the flow throughout its length is not uniform. At the sources, in the mountain regions, there is mineralization: here it is predominantly calcium-hydrocarbonate composition. Further downstream, the amount of mineral substances is significantly reduced, the presence of sulfates is noted. That is why the river Kuma in the Stavropol Territory has poor quality water, approximated by its characteristics to the polluted, unsuitable for drinking.

Reservoir and canals

On the river near the village of Otkaznoye a reservoir of the same name was created. After its formation, the turbidity of the water decreased significantly. An artificial pond is considered to be one of the most fishy places. In this regard, throughout the year it captures, both professional and amateur. There are more than 70 species of fish, among which the majority are minnow, crucian carp, bream, pike perch and perch.

In addition to the reservoir, two irrigation canals were built on the Kuma stream - Kumo-Manych and Tersko-Kum. On them also water is transferred to the pool of several rivers (East Manych, etc.), where its processing takes place, after which it is supplied to consumers.