How did the name of the Kuma river come about. Kuma River: description and photo. Environmental measures taken

04.03.2020

The Kuma River of the Stavropol Territory flows mainly only in this area, which is covered with sand. The name of the stream is connected precisely with this feature of it. From the Turkic language, the word "kum" is translated as "sand". The history of the river begins in the 1st-3rd centuries. Already in these times, historians note the presence of the first settlers on the lands near the basin of the water flow, who were engaged in agriculture, cattle breeding, and the first crafts appeared. In the XI-XIII centuries, the Kuma River was equipped with Polovtsian headquarters; the inhabitants themselves called themselves "kumans". Today, the cities of Mineralnye Vody, Budennovsk, the villages of Aleksandriyskaya and Suvorovskaya, the villages of Krasnokumskoye, Levokumskoye, Soldato-Aleksandrovskoye, Arkhangelskoye and Praskoveya are located along the reservoir. In total, more than 350 thousand inhabitants live on the banks of the Kuma River today.

Geography of the river

Kuma originates near the village of Upper Mara of the Karachay-Cherkess Republic, on the northern slopes of the Rocky Range (about 2100 meters high). Here the reservoir can be called a mountain river. In the region of Mineralnye Vody, the stream spills into the plain, where its course is already calmer. It ends in the Nogai steppe. In the area of the city of Neftekumsk, the Kuma River breaks into several small branches that move towards the Caspian Sea, but do not reach it. In total, the flow flows immediately in four regions of our country: the republics of Dagestan, Kalmykia, Karachay-Cherkess and in the Stavropol Territory.

tributaries

The length of the river is 802 km, the area of its basin is 33,500 square km. In the village of Krasnokumsky (Georgievsky district), a tributary flows into the Kuma - the river. Podkumok. It belongs to the right-bank internal streams. In order to understand which basin the watercourse belongs to, it is necessary to determine where the Kuma River flows into. This is about

In addition, the Darya and Zolka rivers flow into the right side of the reservoir. To the left - Tomuzlovka, Dry Karamyk, Wet Karamyk, Surkul, Dry Buffalo, Wet Buffalo.

Characteristic

The Kuma River is fed mainly by precipitation and snowmelt. From the end of November to the beginning of March, it is ice-bound; in March-April, the ice melts, and the reservoir overflows. In the recent past, rather high floods were recorded in the spring periods, and floods are also not uncommon here. From March to June there is a flood. In summer, the water level can rise up to 5 meters.
The long-term average is 10.6 cubic meters. m, the average runoff is fixed at around 0.33 cubic meters. km per year.

A feature of the Kuma River is its associated with a high content of suspended particles. According to sources, about 600 thousand tons of material is carried out annually. During periods of floods and floods, this figure increases significantly. In this regard, the Kuma River is mainly used for irrigation of arid lands in the region.

Before the city of Mineralnye Vody, the flow of this stream is predominantly mountainous, and after entering the flat area, it becomes calmer.

Water quality

The quality of water in the stream is not uniform throughout its length. At the sources, in mountainous areas, mineralization is noted: here it is predominantly of a calcium-hydrocarbonate composition. Further along the river, the amount of mineral substances decreases significantly, and the presence of sulfates is noted. That is why the Kuma River in the Stavropol Territory has poor quality water, close in characteristics to polluted, undrinkable.

Reservoir and canals

A reservoir of the same name was created on the river near the village of Otkaznoye. After its formation, the turbidity of the water decreased significantly. An artificial reservoir is considered to be one of the most fishy places. In this regard, trapping is carried out in it throughout the year, both professional and amateur. There are more than 70 species of fish here, among which the majority are gudgeon, crucian carp, bream, pike perch and perch.

In addition to the reservoir, two irrigation canals were built on the Kuma stream - Kumo-Manychsky and Tersko-Kumsky. Water is also transferred through them to the basin of several rivers (Vostochny Manych, etc.), where it is processed, after which it is supplied to consumers.

The Kuma River is the second largest river in the North Caucasus, and the first among the rivers of Stavropol. The length of the river is 802 kilometers. In length, it is second only to the Kuban (870 kilometers). The area of the basin is 33.5 thousand square kilometers, which exceeds the area of such European countries as Albania (29 thousand square kilometers) or Belgium (30.5 thousand square kilometers). Kuma originates below the glaciation zone on the northern slopes of the Rocky Range, on Mount Kumbashi (Gumbashi) (2100 meters above sea level). From here begins its largest tributary - Podkumok.

Since ancient times, the population settled along the banks of the river. Thus, the cities of Mineralnye Vody, Zelenokumsk, Budennovsk, the villages of Bekeshevskaya, Suvorovskaya, Aleksandriyskaya, Podgornaya, the villages of Prikumskoye, Abundant, Novozavednoye, Soldato-Aleksandrovskoye, Otkaznoye, Pokoynoye, Levokumskoye, Vladimirovka, Harvest, Praskoveya appeared on Kuma.

The Kuma flows from the southwest to the northeast, crossing various altitudinal zones, which determines the diversity of natural conditions in its catchment area. In the upper reaches, it flows in canyons, distinguished by high and steep banks, striking with the primordial-severe wildness of nature. To the village of Suvorovskaya Kuma is a foothill river with a moving pebble-sand bed. During the flood period, it forms many branches. Below the village of Suvorovskaya Kuma takes on the features of a steppe river. Flows in one sleeve. It has relatively high and steep banks. On the section of the middle reaches it has a wide valley. The entire lower course of the Kuma River is located at 45 degrees north latitude, that is, literally halfway between the equator and the North Pole. To the village of Praskoveya Kuma flows in one channel. After entering the Caspian lowland, it is divided into a number of branches that flow through marshy terrain, between forest and reeds, narrow and muddy streams. Below the village of Vladimirovka, Kuma, having collected its waters, again flows in one channel, but does not reach the very mouth, its water for the most part usually does not reach the Caspian Sea.

According to long-term observations, the river freezes in the section between the village of Bekeshevskaya and the village of Vladimirovka. Ice phenomena begin mainly on December 12-15 and continue until the end of February.

The river is fed mainly by snow and rain. The presence of these two zones of runoff formation influenced the features of the water regime of the river. Snowmelt in the steppes causes an annual spring flood lasting from three to four months.

To protect themselves from spills, the inhabitants of the right bank in the nineteenth century began to pour earthen ramparts. Today, in the area of the city of Budennovsk, you can see the remains of these earthworks. To regulate the flow of water in Kuma in the second half of the twentieth century, the Otkaznenskoye reservoir was built between the villages of Soldato-Aleksandrovskoye and Otkaznoye. During a flood, it takes 32 million cubic meters for storage. water.

The waters of the river are characterized by high turbidity - a mass of silt, clay and sand particles. In terms of turbidity among the rivers not only of the plain Ciscaucasia, but also of the entire European part of Russia, Kuma occupies a record place.

Hence, apparently, its name. Some researchers translate the word "Kuma" from Tatar as "flowing through the sand." The word "Kum" is also in other well-known geographical names: Karakum - black sands, Kyzylkum - red sands. And the Kuma River, rather, could be called Peschanka or Peschanaya. Yes, and the mountain, from under which streams flow that feed the river, also has the word “kum” in its name - Kumbashi, which means Sandy Head.

The Turkic peoples have another name for the river - "lost in the sands." Only in exceptionally high-water years (1886, 1898 and 1921) did the Kuma reach the Caspian Sea and flow into the Kizlyar Bay. Its usual water intake is the floodplains located east of the village of Urozhaynoye and occupying an area of 420 square kilometers.

On the maps of the sailors of the ancient Romans and Greeks, Kuma was called Idon, among the Ossetians - Udon, the Circassians called it Gumiz, that is, Old Kuma. It can be assumed that in ancient times the river was more abundant than in subsequent centuries. Some researchers claim that even the runaway Don Cossacks-schismatics made large ships on Kum, put them on wheels and dragged them to the Caspian Sea. This suggests that there were huge forests in the Kuma valley. Even in the 70-80s of the 18th century, there was much more water in Qom, and dense forests grew along its valley up to the present Budyonnovsk. The waters of Kuma have been widely used for irrigation since ancient times. In the past, these were ditches, eriki, the water from which was used to water gardens, vineyards and orchards. Irrigated agriculture was most widely developed after the construction of the Tersko-Kuma Canal in 1960 and the Kumo-Manych Canal in 1964. Near the village of Levokumsky Kuma receives the waters of the mountain Terek through the canal. Mixing of waters has a beneficial effect on lowering the mineralization of the Kuma, increasing its runoff in the lower reaches.

The right tributaries of the Kuma River are the Darya, Gorkaya, Podkumok, Zolka. The left tributaries include Tamlyk, Surkul, Dry Karamyk, Wet Karamyk, Tomuzlovka, Buffalo.

Since ancient times, the population settled along the banks of the river. Thus, the cities of Mineralnye Vody, Zelenokumsk, Budennovsk, the villages of Bekeshevskaya, Su-vorovskaya, Aleksandriyskaya, Podgornaya, the villages of Prikumskoye, Abundant, Novozavednoye, Soldato-Aleksandrovskoye, Otkaznoye, Pokoynoye, Levokumskoye, Vladimirovka, Harvest, Praskoveya appeared on Kuma.

The Kuma flows from the southwest to the northeast, crossing various altitudinal zones, which determines the diversity of natural conditions in its catchment area. In the upper reaches, it flows in canyons, distinguished by high and steep banks, striking with the primordial-severe wildness of nature. To the village of Suvorovskaya Kuma is a foothill river with a moving pebble-sand bed. During the flood period, it forms many branches. Below the village of Suvorovskaya Kuma takes on the features of a steppe river. Flows in one sleeve. It has relatively high and steep banks. On the section of the middle reaches it has a wide valley. The entire lower course of the Kuma River is located at 45 degrees north latitude, that is, literally halfway between the equator and the North Pole. To the village of Praskoveya Kuma flows in one channel. After entering the Caspian lowland, it is divided into a number of branches that flow through the marshy area, between the forest and reeds, narrow and muddy streams. Below the village of Vladimirovka, Kuma, having collected its waters, again flows in one channel, but does not reach the very mouth, its water for the most part usually does not reach the Caspian Sea.

According to long-term observations, the river freezes in the area between Bekeshevskaya village and Vladimirovka village. Ice phenomena begin mainly on December 12-15 and continue until the end of February.

In order to protect themselves from spills, the inhabitants of the right bank in the nineteenth century began to pour earthen ramparts. Today, in the area of the city of Budennovsk, you can see the remains of these earthworks. To regulate the flow of water in Kuma in the second half of the twentieth century, the Otkaznenskoye reservoir was built between the villages of Soldato-Aleksandrovskoye and Otkaznoye. During a flood, it takes 32 million cubic meters for storage. water.

On the maps of the sailors of the ancient Romans and Greeks, Kuma was called Idon, among the Ossetians - Udon, the Circassians called it Gumiz, that is, Old Kuma. It can be assumed that in ancient times the river was more abundant than in subsequent centuries. Some researchers claim that even the runaway Don Cossacks-schismatics made large ships on Kum, put them on wheels and dragged them to the Caspian Sea. This suggests that there were huge forests in the Kuma valley. Even in the 70-80s of the 18th century, there was much more water in Qom, and dense forests grew along its valley up to the present Budyonnovsk. The waters of Kuma have been widely used for irrigation since ancient times. In the past, these were ditches, eriki, the water from which was used to water gardens, vineyards and orchards. Irrigated agriculture received the widest development after the construction in 1960 of the Tersko-Kuma and in 1964 of the Kumo-Manych canals. Near the village of Levokumsky Kuma receives the waters of the mountain Terek through the canal. Mixing of waters has a beneficial effect on lowering the mineralization of the Kuma, increasing its runoff in the lower reaches.

The right tributaries of the Kuma River are the Darya, Gorkaya, Podkumok, Zolka. The left tributaries include Tamlyk, Surkul, Dry Karamyk, Wet Karamyk, Tomuzlovka, Buffalo.

- Location - Height