The Alamüdün (, ) or Alamedin (, ) is a left

tributary A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream (''main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which they ...

of the

Chu Chu or CHU may refer to: Chinese history * Chu (state) (c. 1030 BC–223 BC), a state during the Zhou dynasty * Western Chu (206 BC–202 BC), a state founded and ruled by Xiang Yu * Chu Kingdom (Han dynasty) (201 BC–70 AD), a kingdom of the H ...

in northern

Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan, officially the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia lying in the Tian Shan and Pamir Mountains, Pamir mountain ranges. Bishkek is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Kyrgyzstan, largest city. Kyrgyz ...

. Water from the river is substantially redirected for irrigation, and the

Alamüdün District Alamüdün () is a district of Chüy Region in northern Kyrgyzstan. Its area is , and its resident population was 188,484 in 2021. Its administrative seat is Lebedinovka. The district surrounds Bishkek, but does not include it, because the city ...

Chüy Region Chüy is the northernmost Regions of Kyrgyzstan, region of Kyrgyzstan, surrounding the country's national capital of Bishkek. It is bounded on the north by Kazakhstan, and clockwise, Issyk-Kul Region, Naryn Region, Jalal-Abad Region, and Talas Re ...

is named after the river. The river is long, and has a

drainage basin A drainage basin is an area of land in which all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...

of .Основные гидрографические характеристики рек Чуйского бассейна
/ref> or 417 km². The average rate of water flow is 6.33 cubic meters per second, with a maximum of 300 cubic meters per second and a minimum of 0.74 meters per second. The source of the Alamüdün is a

glacier A glacier (; or ) is a persistent body of dense ice, a form of rock, that is constantly moving downhill under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires ...

on the northern slope of the

Kyrgyz Ala-Too The Kyrgyz Ala-Too also known as Kyrgyz Alatau, Kyrgyz Range, and Alexander Range (until 1933) is a large range in the northern Tien-Shan. It stretches for a total length of 454 km from the west-end of Issyk-Kul to the town Taraz in Kazakhs ...

range. In the upper parts the flow is turbulent, and it passes through narrow mountain gorges. As it enters the

Chüy Valley The Chüy Valley (; ; ) is a large valley located in northern Kyrgyzstan and southern Kazakhstan, in the northern part of the Tian Shan. It extends from Boom Gorge in the east to Muyunkum Desert in the west. It is long and has an area of about . ...

, the river bed widens and becomes less steep. The river flows through the city of

Bishkek Bishkek, formerly known as Pishpek (until 1926), and then Frunze (1926–1991), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kyrgyzstan. Bishkek is also the administrative centre of the Chüy Region. Bishkek is situated near the Kazakhstan ...

, where its channel has been reinforced with concrete barriers, from south to north. Within the watershed of the river there are 22 small lakes with a total surface area of 0.8 km² and 53 glaciers with an area of 74.2 km². Snow-melt in the summer (May through September) results in high waters, and low-water occurs in the winter. The river has 33 small tributaries, the largest of which is the Chungkurchak, at 19 km long.

Social import

There is a

water draw-off Water is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula . It is a transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance. It is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms ( ...

at the entrance to the

Alamüdün Gorge Alamüdün (, also ''Alamedin'' and ''Alamudun'') is a town and northern suburb of Bishkek in Chüy Region of Kyrgyzstan, part of Alamüdün District (raion). Its population was 12,198 in 2021. It lies along the M39 highway which leads to Kord ...

in the

, not far from the village of Kök-Jar. Villages on the banks of the Alamüdün include Kök-Jar, Tash-Moynok,

Besh-Künggöy Besh-Kungoy (also ''Besh-Kyungey'', ) is a village in the Alamüdün District in Chüy Region of Kyrgyzstan. Its population was 3,856 in 2021. It was established in 1898. Notable people * Ismailbek Taranchiev (April 6, 1923 - April 26, 1944) - S ...

, and

Alamüdün Alamüdün (, also ''Alamedin'' and ''Alamudun'') is a town and northern suburb of Bishkek in Chüy Region of Kyrgyzstan, part of Alamüdün District (raion). Its population was 12,198 in 2021. It lies along the M39 highway which leads to Kord ...

. There have been reports that the river fills with garbage. It has also been reported that waste water from certain facilities has been polluting the river, making it unsafe as a source of drinking water. In July 2015, the river flooded in the village of Arashan. Relief efforts were hindered by the fact that heavy equipment could not be transported through the village due to narrow streets.В селе Арашан река Аламедин вышла из берегов
/ref>

References

Rivers of Kyrgyzstan {{Chuy-geo-stub