GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE IRTYSH RIVER

The Irtysh is one of the biggest rivers in Russia. Its length, including the Black Irtysh, is 4,248 km. The Irtysh is longer than the Yenisei and the Ob, large Siberian rivers. Its watershed is bigger than that of the Volga as it covers the territory of 1,595,680 km³.

The Irtysh starts as a small brook on icy slopes of the Altai Mountains in Mongolia, at the height of 2,500 m above the sea level, in faraway and magic country of Dzungaria — Western part of a Chinese province Sinsiang. Falling down from the mountains, the upper flow of the river washes away the banks. Its character causes its name. The word “Irtysh” means “earth-mover” in Turkic.

The Irtysh flows through Chinese territory for a distance of 618 km. Chinese government has recently started building an irrigation canal from the Black Irtysh to Karamay in this region. It is planned to be more than 300 km long and 22 m wide. The canal will take 20% of the annual Black Irtysh waterflow, and that can lead the Irtysh to getting shallow. Vast regions in Siberia are in danger of an ecological catastrophe.

The river is called the Black Irtysh until it flows into the Zaisan Lake. The Zaisan Lake is big but shallow watered. You can watch the way the Irtysh flows on its bottom. Flowing out of the lake, the river gets its name.

Down the stream, the Irtysh mountainous banks are changed into a cascade of large electric power stations (Bukhtarminskaya, Shulbinskaya, Ust-Kamenogorskaya and others). It was planned to build a cascade of 13 large power stations and water storage pools along the river, reaching the territory of Omsk. The last power station was to be built in Ust-Zaostrovka, but the plans were not realized. The already built power stations influence the water level greatly. They need much water, and so does agriculture, and the Irtysh water level gets lower and lower.

Leaving the mountains, the Irtysh River enters vast and arid Kazakhstan steppes. For a distance of 1,174 km the river flows through the Omsk region and possesses all specific features of a plain river. In the north of the Omsk region, the Irtysh flows through taiga zone (thick and deep forests) until it falls into the Ob. The modern river valley is well-developed and 15-20 km wide, though it gets narrower up to 2 km near Omsk. There also exists the second river valley — the ancient one, about 150-200 km wide. The two terraces can be especially well distinguished on the right bank: the lower is modern and the upper — ancient one. The right bank is steep, high and cut with ravines, and the left one is gently sloping and gradually turning into a plain. The banks are formed by easily washed out friable rocks.

The river forms numerous branches and channels. In some places it approaches the ancient banks, and they are very picturesque. As a result of the basic rocks erosion, the steep walls 30-40 m high (so called Irtysh mountains) are formed.

In our latitudes, the Irtysh is a calm and quiet river. The flow speed is about 0.5-1.5 mps. The low speed is caused by a slight slope of the plain (22 m per 1 km of the river flow). Absolute height of the Irtysh water level above the sea level is: 68.4 m near Omsk, 103 m near Pavlodar, 53.6 m near Tara, 31 m near Tobolsk, and only 14 m near Khanty-Mansiysk.

It is not a well-known fact that the Irtysh is one of the cleanest and lest mineralized rivers in the world (only 127 mg of different substances and admixtures dissolved in a liter of water). We can compare it to some other rivers: the Irtysh tributary — the Om — contains 500-900 mg per l, the Volga — 458 mg, and the Amazon — 303 mg per l.

The Irtysh forms numerous loops, arches and turns. The riverbed is 600-700 m (up to 1,000 m in northern parts) wide. The depth of the river is 6-15 m on the stretches and 2-3 m on the shallows. In spring the river is fed by melting snow water, in summer and autumn by its boggy tributaries. Floods are occasional, as power stations try to keep water for dry summer period. However, in spring the water level is 5-6 m (sometimes 8-9 m) higher than usual. In 1928, there was an ice blockage on the shallow in Kharino. The water level was 8-9 m higher. In Omsk people used boats to move in the central streets, the basements and ground floors were flooded. The bridge over the Om River was under water.

The annual average outlay of the Irtysh water in Omsk is 919 m³ps, and the annual river waterflow is about 29 km³.

In summer the Irtysh water temperature is rather high, 20-22^o C above 0^o (some years 29^o C). In the north the temperature is lower. In September the temperature gets lower, and somewhere between October, 14 and November, 21 the river freezes. The ice melts between April, 17 and May, 16. The ice layer thickness in March can be 1 m and more. During the last years there is no ice field in the Omsk region because of industrial pollution which prevents the water from freezing even at -30^o C. The river is ice-covered within 163 days in Omsk, 176 days — in Ust-Ishim.

The Irtysh is an important transport way connecting south and north of Siberia and Kazakhstan. All day long, timber, oil, crops, building materials and other cargoes are carried by ships along the river. The navigation period lasts for 130 days.

The Irtysh is a favourite place of rest. A lot of people go fishing in their free time, both in summer and in winter. Large sandy beaches, cool water in hot days, wonderful banks and Siberian forests attract many tourists.

In the 19^th century, there were many disputes — which river should be considered as the main and which as a tributary: the Ob or the Irtysh? The Irtysh is longer, and the Ob joins it from aside, not changing its straight flow from Tobolsk to Salekhard. But the decisive argument appeared that the Ob was more full-flowing than the Irtysh. So the Ob was considered to be the main river, and the Irtysh — its tributary.

The Irtysh River Steamship Line.

The Irtysh River has played an important role in the history of Siberia development, connecting south and north, cities and countries. For a long time the river has been the main transport way because of lack of good roads in Siberia.

The very first steamship in Siberia was built in 1838 by Naum Tyufin, a merchant, and was given a name “Osnova” (which means a basis). The steam machine was disassembled and transported from the west, and the wooden hull was made from local materials. The steamship estimate cost was about 8270 silver roubles.

In 1839, Commercial Councilor Nikita Fyodorovitch Myasnikov, a merchant belonging to the top guild, got the “by Russian Tsar given privilege for 10 years to establish steamship navigation on Siberian rivers the Ob and the Irtysh and the Baikal lake”.

In 1843, Court Councilor Poklevskoy-Kozell, an official of Western Siberia Government and the new owner of the “Osnova” steamship, organized the first commercial freight route from Tyumen to Tobolsk. The route took five days and nights and six hours. (On photo: the “Osnova” steamship).

In 1850-1860 there were many new steamship companies appearing and many steamships were built. For example, G.S. Berens, a merchant from Tara belonging to the second guild, also decided to do his best and built a steamship with a proud name — the “Hurrah!”. Moreover, his steamship did not keep to the beaten track — it was the first to come up the Irtysh River to the Koryakovsky lakes to carry salt. Later there appeared the city of Pavlodar. Some historians think that the “Hurrah!” belonging to Tara merchant was the first steamship in Omsk fortress. And in 1873 not less than 19 steamships discharged cargo at Omsk wharf, which meant about 4562 silver roubles for the city treasury.

The steamships were wooden at that time, with steam machines’ power of 20-50 h.p.. They moved up the river, against the stream very slowly, towing cargo barges. Usually they carried salt from Yamyshevo and Koryakovo to Tobolsk. The annual river-borne freight turnover was about 900-1000 tones of salt.

In 1863 the first cargo-and-passenger steamship with machine’s power of 480 h.p., called the “Orel” (which means an eagle) was launched in Tyumen, and the first passenger steamship the “Kormilets” (which means giving food) was built in 1893 by a merchant woman Evdokia Ivanovna Melnikova. It had a machine with power of 200 h.p. and an upper deck with passenger cabins. Quickly increasing number of people moving to Siberia resulted in increasing quantity of passenger steamships. Especially popular were American type double-decked steamships. In 1903, 128 cargo-and-passenger steamships wharfed in Omsk.

In the beginning of the XX century, steamship companies in the Ob-Irtysh basin were growing bigger. Workers exploitation got harder. Living and working conditions on steamships were really terrible. Low payment, poverty, diseases and having no civil rights led the workers to fighting for their rights. In 1906 a steamship crew Trade Union was organized in Omsk. On May 18, 1912, 110 dockers went on strike at the steamship wharf. During the February Bourgeois Revolution, 1917, a Union of steamship river workers in Western Siberia was established.

On February 8, 1918, the Council of People Commissioners’ Decree was issued, declaring that the trading river fleet belonged to the State now. There were 52 cargo-and-passenger steamships, 140 steam tugs, 3 motor ships, 15 metal lighters and a number of barges in the Ob-Irtysh basin. It was not easy because as many ships were half-destroyed and some of them were just left on the reaches of the river. However, the workers managed to keep the craft and increase their number.

The next step of steamship line development is the period of Kolchak’s government in Siberia. It was decided to evacuate the ships from Omsk to Tyumen region. On August 23, 1919, the steamship “Irtysh” crew led by Alexander Vodopyanov started an armed revolt against Kolchak and after some fights managed to join the Red Army soldiers.

In 1920s Omsk steamship line was famous for Karsk expeditions. The river steamships carried grain from Siberia, which was then sent to regions suffering from famine. Only in 1920 river workers carried 575,000 pood (Russian measure of weight, 1 pood is 16.38 kg) of wheat, 57,000 pood of fat, a lot of wool, fish and furs from Omsk.

30,000 YEARS AGO AT THE PLACE OF OMSK.

FROM THE REMOTE PAST OF OMSK REGION.

In summer the left bank of the Irtysh river, opposite the Om estuary and up the river, is about 5-6 meters higher than the water level. The bank area is a river flood-land, and, parallel to the Irtysh there is a smaller river — the Zamarayka (which means dirty). Next to the Zamarayka lies an actual Irtysh bank, steep and sunny. The terrace gets lower and turns gradually into flood-land. There are several quite large bogs covered, as the Zamarayka bank, with canes. There are no trees or bushes in the flood-land. Near the Irtysh the terrace gets higher. There are kitchen gardens here. That is the present day.

Now some history.

In 1764 in the flood-land, opposite the Om estuary, the Elizabeth defense (fortress) was built. Every year, at the end of August – beginning of September there was a market. The nomads came there from far-away steppes. They drove large herds of cattle, horses, brought Chinese and Tashkent cloths, sheep-skin coats, felts, tea, etc. They also sold slaves — captive Kazakhs and Kalmyks. An island not far from there was called an “Island of captives”. The Russian exchanged atlas, cotton and woolen cloths, ironmongery and cast-iron hardware, furs, wooden tableware, flour, bread, tobacco. And when Russian soldiers decided to build a fortress opposite the Om estuary, there was a passage across the river held by the Kalmyk. The oozy and grass-covered Zamarayka was earlier the Irtysh riverbed. The Irtysh is a great Asian river, born in the snowy Altai, flowing through the steppes of Kazakhstan covered with feather-grass, through Omsk region, Tara woods and Tobolsk forests, falling into the Ob and finally into the Kara Sea.

The area between the Zamarayka and the present Irtysh was an island in the past. Three thousand years ago there was a large settlement on the island.

The actual name of the site inhabitants was lost in the centuries. However, the soil strata have kept some things revealing the life of ancient settlers until the present days. Thousands of man-made things were found at the site. The place of present motorcycle racing track is especially rich in such finds. The cultural stratum is about 1-1.5 meter thick and lies at a depth of 0.8-1 meter from the surface. The most part of the former site is buried under the water near Leningrad Bridge by floods and rains.

There were many flint and bone arrow and spear heads found at the Omsk site. They were hunting archery tools. There were many wild animals to hunt there: wolves, foxes, hares, boars, wild horses, bulls — their bones were found at the site. People used to hunt with dogs.

The site inhabitants did not only hunt, they also went fishing. For that they used, according to what was found, nets and peculiar fishing rods. Besides hunting and fishing, they also used vegetable food. There were stone pestles to pound seeds and wild herbs. Bone diggers and flint knives were used to dig out edible plant roots. The site inhabitants used fibre and withe baskets to pick mushrooms and berries.

No data shows their knowledge of agriculture. They did not know cattle-breeding either.

Primitive industry was well developed. People made flint heads for arrows and spears, fine flint knives and scrapers.

There were less things made of bone, most of them were arrowheads, sometimes diggers, piercers. Some copper things were found: sickles, awls, rings, pendants, etc. Most of them were made by means of casting, and the moulds were made of clay and even nowadays are shockingly accurate.

The site is full of crocks of earthenware. They all had flat bottoms, and this fact proves that human life was settled and their dwellings were more comfortable, with flat floor. In case the bottoms of dishes are egg-shaped, it means nomadic life.

The dishes were made without a potter’s wheel and covered with different patterns. After forming pots were smoothened with grass and patterned. Thus, the air was removed from wet clay dough in order to prevent the pots from cracking when baking. The site inhabitants were very artful in making ceramics.

Shelters of branches at the site served as dwellings, in winter they were warmed with animals’ skins. There were some pit dwellings found — hearths that could dwell from 30 to 40 people. A hearth was the place where people got warm near a fire and consumed their food. The food leftovers were scattered around the site.

Clothes were made mainly of furs. The site inhabitants exchanged goods with people from southern regions.

A man from the Omsk site was rather well developed physically and spiritually. Some burials and separate human jaws were found there. No trace of cremation rituals can be found. Perhaps, the site inhabitants have not gone as far in their development, as to believe in special power of fire. Nevertheless, some fragments of a stone phallus found between the other things at the site allow us to think that phallic cult was spread among them.

The Omsk site belongs to a so-called Andronovo culture (the Bronze Age) which was widely spread in Western Siberia, Kazakhstan and the Urals region at the end of 2^nd-beginning of the 1^st millennium B.C.

RIVERS DO NOT DIE. THEY ARE KILLED.

The full-flowing Irtysh is now in danger to turn into the second Aral Sea.

We all know the projects of changing the course of Siberian rivers — the Ob, the Irtysh and the Tobol — to south. Due to the efforts of Academy of Science and the general public they have sunk into oblivion. But, as it often happens, projects once born are not easily forgotten… The Irtysh is in danger again. This time because of China.

At the beginning of February news agencies proclaimed almost a sensation: China is at full speed building an irrigation canal from the Black Irtysh to Karamay, 22 meters wide and more than 300 kilometers long. In fact, this means changing the watercourse direction completely. Ecologists and other specialists have raised an alarm: the Irtysh flows through the territories not only of China, but also Kazakhstan and Russia. It means, irrespective of the state borders, the river is a whole natural, or, in terms of experts, economical and ecological system. Changing its part at one place, we run a risk of spoiling it all. By the way, we should mention, that the area concerned is equal to the territory of France…

Thus speaking, a vast region, including southern and central parts of Western Siberia where the Irtysh flows into the Ob, is going to suffer the same fate as the Aral Sea.

One way or another, Kazakhstan mass media, as we can say, are full of apocalyptic descriptions of the catastrophe coming. Most probably, their initiative will soon be taken up in Russia.

What are the gloomy prognoses based on? The thing is, the water level of Chinese Black Irtysh — the upper flow of the greatest Asian river — will fall down sharply and that, to Kasym Duskayev’s opinion (he is the Chief water projects co-ordinator in Kazakhstan National Ecological Centre), will result in deserting the most part of the Republic territory and Western Siberia regions. Having turned the upper part of the Irtysh into an irrigation canal, China will take about 20 per cent of annual flow of the Black Irtysh — at least 2 km³ every year, and 4 km³ as a possible perspective, according to certain sources of information in China. That is the quantity of water needed to increase the agricultural efficiency of arid Dzungaria, an area bordering upon Kazakhstan. Is it much or not?

According to K. Duskayev’s estimation, in “low-water” years such quantity of water is almost the two thirds of the whole flow of the river, which, as we remember, flows through Western Siberia. This means, the Irtysh will grow shallow in Russia, either. Power engineering will not be able to avoid losses: some large hydro-electric power stations of the Irtysh cascade (e.g., Bukhtarminskaya, Shulbinskaya, Ust-Kamenogorskaya and others) will be left without water. In fact, specialists think that a vast region run risks of becoming a lifeless desert…

As it is well known, the water of Irtysh feeds the Ob, a great Siberian river. What will happen to it?

RF Ministry of Nature specialists’ prognoses are hardly optimistic: the process of pollution and shallowing of the main Ob tributary stream, connected with building of a new Irtysh watercourse in China, will inevitably influence the Ob. And then — the nature and climate conditions in Ob and Omsk regions.

Kazakhstan news agency “Asia-Press” comments of November 24^th, 1998, are very flat: “After 20% of water taken off by the Chinese, the Black Irtysh water level can decrease, this resulting in unpredictable consequences for many post-Soviet regions… Not many people in Kazakhstan now have enough courage to speak frankly about what can happen to the Irtysh…”

It is interesting, that millions of large-scale posters were printed in the former USSR half a century ago, in winter 1948-1949: with his famous pipe in his left hand, comrade Stalin observes proudly a map showing the future of Soviet nature. The map is crossed with lines of new canals, riverbeds and hydroelectric power stations. And behind him, somewhere in a mist is the working and intellectual power — Soviet people, gazing with awesome admiration at their leader and his plans.

So, the history does not always come back as a farce…

And how is the situation looked at in Russia nowadays? With the same piety, as in those years? Or less optimistically?

According to the words of Nikolay Mikheyev, RF Nature Resources Minister’s first assistant, “the Chinese party has not confirmed beginning of work on changing the Irtysh watercourse yet. Nevertheless, we know it has begun. Not only Russian, but Kazakhstan and Kirgizstan Ministries of Foreign Affairs also have sent to China government inquiries on the problem — interests of many regions and countries are affected. But there is no official answer from Peking.”

Since 1992, we have had an agreement with Kazakhstan concerning transborder waters conservation. There are no agreements of that kind neither between Kazakhstan and China nor between Russia and China. Negotiations on the Far East water problems are planned for the end of February. “We would like,” N. Mikheyev said “to ask some questions on the Irtysh at that meeting, too.”

Well, perhaps, unilateral China actions are not so dangerous?

But they are. In case China changes the Irtysh watercourse, there will arise many problems with water supply in many regions of Western Siberia and, first of all, in Omsk region. We will have to check the water usage along the whole Western Siberian Irtysh flow.

By the way, in the early 1960s, during the “great leap for Communism” in China, the government has decided to work out a project of changing the courses of some rivers bordering upon the USSR: the Argun, the Black Irtysh, the Il and also the Mekong, the Hwang Ho and the Yangtze. But Chinese specialists found that impossible not only because of ecological, but also political reasons.

During the Cultural Revolution — in 1966-1967 — the challenge was tried again. The answer was the same, and foreign consultants which were asked by the government to estimate a “neo-Stalin” plan of nature transformation, have frightened the then Chinese leaders by their report concerning inevitable ecological and economical catastrophe. Ecological boomerang can hit China also, at least the regions that get oil and gas supply from Russia and Kazakhstan. But will a lifeless desert need those supplies?

By the way, the sparrows extermination campaign, in the late 1950s - early 1960s, resulted in sharp decreasing of agricultural efficiency in Mongolia, Northern Korea, Nepal, Northern Viet Nam, North East India, Taiwan and Middle Asian Republics. So, we have had precedents already…

A. Baliyev, A. Medvedev (“Russkaya Gazeta”)