Lake Balkhash
| Lake Balkhash | |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 45°4′N 76°2′E / 45.067°N 76.033°E |
| Type | Endorheic Saline |
| Primary inflows | Ili River Karatai River Aksu River Lepsi River |
| Primary outflows | Evaporation |
| Catchment area | 413,000 km² |
| Basin countries | Kazakhstan 85% China 15% |
| Max. length | 605 km |
| Max. width | East 74 km West 19 km |
| Surface area | 16,996 km² |
| Average depth | 5.8 m |
| Max. depth | 25.6 m |
| Water volume | 106 km³ |
| Shore length1 | 2,385 km |
| Surface elevation | 341.4 m |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
Lake Balkhash (Kazakh: Balqash Köli) is a large lake in southeastern Kazakhstan, the second largest in Central Asia after the Aral Sea. It is part of the huge west/Central Asian endorheic basin that includes the Caspian and Aral seas.
History
From as early as 103 BC up until the 8th century, the Balkhash polity was known to the Chinese as Pu-Ku/Bu-Ku. During China's Qing Dynasty, the lake formed the northwestern-most boundary of the Empire. However, in 1864, the lake and its neighbouring area was ceded to Imperial Russia through what Chinese histories call an unequal treaty, The Sino-Russian Treaty on the Northwestern Boundary. With the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, the lake became part of Kazakhstan.
Characteristics
The lake currently covers 16,996 km² (6,562 sq mi), but, like the Aral Sea, it is shrinking because of the diversion of water from the rivers that feed it.[1] The lake has a mean depth of 5.8 m, and a maximum of 25.6 m. The western half of the lake is fresh water, while the eastern half is salt water. The mean depth of the eastern part is 1.7 times that of the western. Approximately 1600 km to the Northwest lies Lake Baikal, the largest lake on Earth by volume.
The Balkhash inland basin drains into Lake Balkhash via seven rivers; chief among these is the Ili River, which brings the majority of the riparian inflow. The Ili is fed from precipitation (largely vernal snowmelt) from the mountains of China's Xinjiang region. The Balkhash basin is itself endorheic – there is no outflow – and Balkhash suffers from the same problems as other endorheic lakes.
Economic development
The waters of the Ili River and of Lake Balkhash are of vital economic importance to Kazakhstan. The Ili is dammed for hydroelectric power at Kaptchagayskoye, and the river waters are heavily diverted for agricultural irrigation and for industrial purposes. Balkhash itself serves as a vital fishery.
Environmental and political problems
As the population and degree of industrialisation in western China increase, and with traditionally poor political relations between Kazakhstan and the People's Republic, it is likely that conflict over the fate of the limited waters of the Ili will intensify. Similar international disputes over water use in the arid region led to the desiccation of the Aral Sea, and Balkhash appears to be following a similar path.[2]
The water pollution of Balkhash is intensified as urbanisation and industrialisation in the area grow rapidly. Extinctions of species in the lake due to its decreasing area, as well as overfishing activities, are cause for alarm among conservationist organisations worldwide.[3]
External links
- Information on Balkhash's geography and biology
- Kazakh 'national treasure' under threat
- United Nations Environmental Programme details on Lake Balkhash