Abakan is a river, which is one of the largest tributaries of the Yenisei. It flows through the territory of the Krasnoyarsk Territory and Khakassia. In the upper part, the water artery combines with the Bolshoi Abakan River, their total length is 514 kilometers. The sources of the river are on the northern spurs of the Western Sayan and Altai mountains. It falls into the Krasnoyarsk reservoir near Mount Samokhval. Abakan flows through 5 administrative regions of the Russian Federation: Ust-Abakan, Beysky, Askizsky, Tashtypsky and Altai. The Abakan River is very beautiful, photos show that it is one of the most attractive in the world. In the upper reaches, Abakan goes through a narrow valley to the village of Big Manok, then follows the Minusinsk valley and breaks up into branches.
The course of Abakan
In the highlands, a water artery flows 360 kilometers. The map of the Abakan river shows that the boundary of the plain current is the closure of the Joysky ridge with Kirs from the side of Ust-Tashtyp. The width of the river in this place does not exceed 300 meters, and the depth is 3 meters. The flow rate in this section of Abakan is quite high - up to 15 kilometers per hour. The shores are rocky, steep, with terraces, on one of them is one of the most beautiful cities of Khakassia - Abaza. In the steppe part of Abakan, the river spills, and the basin valley increases in width to 17 kilometers. The speed of the river decreases and does not exceed 10 kilometers per hour.
Life of Abakan
The main sources of food for 37% are rain, 50% - snow and 13% - spring water. In winter, the water level is very low. From spring to autumn, it rises, and to colds - again subsides. The maximum spring increase is up to 6 meters. In 1969, as a result of heavy melting of snows and heavy rains, the Abakan floodplain was flooded in places by 5 meters. In 2014, the flood was even larger - in the Abaza region, water rose 5.8 meters. In winter, the river is covered with ice up to 1 meter thick, which lasts up to 6 months in some years. Freeze-up begins in early November, ice drift - in the second half of April.
Nature reserve
For tourists, Abakan is a river attractive with real Siberian fishing, the miraculous spring "Goryachiy Klyuch" and settlements of Old Believers, in one of which the famous Agafya Lykova lives . Also, the water artery flows through the territory of the Khakass State Reserve. It is a symbol of untouched forests and bowels of the national economy. Here sable is bred and kept. The riverbanks in this place are covered with cedar forests of mountain taiga type. There are many different fish in the river, of which grayling is the most attractive for fishermen from all over Russia. There are many plants listed in the Red Book. About 50 species of mammals, 139 species of birds and 3 species of amphibians live in forests. This river is worth seeing at least once with your own eyes! You will be delighted with the local landscapes!
Deteriorating river ecology
The Abakan River is at risk. The nearby Baikonur cosmodrome pollutes it with very harmful wastes: these are the remains of rocket fuel and oxidizing agents, as well as the wreckage of Proton. Heptyl falls into the water of the river, and then is absorbed into the ground. Then, through berries, mushrooms, fish, etc., it appears in the human body. This substance is 6 times higher in terms of toxicity, hydrocyanic acid, it affects the digestive system, respiratory system, circulatory system. Also, industrial waste from various enterprises located along the banks is dangerous for the river. Petrol stations, agriculture and utilities, which pollute the river in large numbers, are not far behind. When the forest rafts along Abakan, the bottom is destroyed, and water and winds increase soil erosion.