The Kichi-Kemin is a river in Kemin District of Chüy Region of Kyrgyzstan and Korday District of Kazakhstan. It is a right tributary of the Chu in Chüy Valley. It is 81 km long with a basin area of 614 km2. The flow of the Kichi-Kemin considerably varies; the minimum flow is 0.46 m3/s in February, and the maximum is 8.63 m3/s in July.

Course

The source of the Kichi-Kemin is high in the shoots of Trans-Ili Alatau in Kyrgyzstan. For about 10 km the river flows to the north and then to the west along the Kyrgyzstan–Kazakhstan border from an elevation of about 3500 m to 2500 m. The river passes through urban-type settlement Ak-Tüz and flows to the southwest in a narrow gorge. Further on, it passes through the village of Ilyich and enters the Kichi-Kemin Valley. The Kichi-Kemin River then turns west and passes near the villages of Kichi-Kemin, Boroldoy, and Beysheke. It flows parallel to the Chu at a distance of 3 to 4 km and crosses the Kyrgyzstan–Kazakhstan border. In Kazakhstan, it passes near the villages Karasay batyr and Enbek gradually approaching the Chu River, and flowing into it near Chym-Korgon.

Ecology and environment

Contamination

In 1964, mudflows damaged tailings pond No.2 in the vicinity of the Kichi-Kemin River, and 1.5 e6m3 of radioactive tailings contaminated the river and lower part of Kichi-Kemin Valley with thorium, lead, copper, zinc, beryllium and other heavy metals.

Environmental monitoring

The Kyrgyz State Agency on Hydrometeorology runs two water-quality monitoring stations on the Kichi-Kemin River: one of them is 3 km upstream and another is 8 km downstream of Ak-Tuz.