The Pripyat River is the largest and most important right tributary of the Dnieper. Its length is 775 kilometers. The water stream flows through Ukraine (Kyiv, Volyn and Rivne regions) and Belarus (Gomel and Brest regions). The area of the drainage basin exceeds 114 thousand square kilometers. Pripyat originates between the villages of Rogovye Smolyary and Budniki on the Volyn Upland. In the upper reaches of the river, its valley is rather weakly expressed, in the lower reaches it is somewhat clearer. The width of the floodplain in the upper reaches does not exceed 4 kilometers, in the lower - up to 15. The slope of the river is 0.08 meters per 1 kilometer. In the upper reaches, the Pripyat channel looks like a canal, below it becomes winding. In the middle course there are many oxbow lakes and meanders, the river has many channels and small islands. The width of the water flow at the sources is no more than 40 meters, at the Kyiv reservoir, where the Pripyat River flows, up to 5 kilometers.
River life
The Pripyat River has a mixed water supply, mainly from snowmelt. Its regime is characterized by a long flood in the spring. It starts atearly March, and in cold years - in mid-April. The flood can last up to 3.5 months. Accompanied by massive spills. At this moment, in the upper reaches, the water can rise by 2 meters, in the middle - by 3.5, and in the lower reaches - up to 7 meters. Summer low water is short, as it is constantly interrupted by rain floods. Autumn almost every year is characterized by a significant rise in water. The annual flow is 14.5 cubic kilometers. Of these, up to 65% fall in the spring period. Pripyat freezes only by mid-December. There are many swamps in the river basin, which determine the color of the water in the river.
Water flow location
The Pripyat River on the map begins in the Lyubomlsky district of the Volyn region of Ukraine, along which it flows 204 kilometers. Then the water flow crosses the border of Belarus and follows the Polesskaya lowland for 500 km. His path lies among the Pinsk swamps. Here the valley is weakly expressed, the banks are swampy. The river often breaks into branches. At the beginning of the lowland, the bottom is unstable, sandy; towards the end, the number of riffles on the river increases. The remaining 50 kilometers, the Pripyat flows again in Ukraine, where it ends its journey in the Kiev reservoir, just south of Chernobyl. The river is connected by canals with the Mukhavets (a tributary of the Western Bug) and the Shchara (a tributary of the Neman). The Pripyat River is flat. It is characterized by low waterlogging - up to 15%.
Tributes, settlements, lakes and canals of Pripyat
The Pripyat River has many tributaries,but Ptich, Styra and Goryn are of the greatest importance. The latter is the largest water flow (of the flowing ones). The Dnieper-Bug Canal eventually connects Pripyat to the Bug, thus forming a waterway to Europe. Or the Black Sea with the B altic. The Dnieper-Neman Canal makes the river part of the route from Ukraine to Latvia - to the Kaunas reservoir. There are other non-navigable "small" canals. The Polesskaya lowland is characterized by large lakes. Only on the right bank of the Pripyat there are more than 2.5 thousand lakes. The largest on the river are two Belarusian cities - Mozyr and Pinsk. The most famous two Ukrainian settlements are the "dead cities" Pripyat and Chernobyl.
Chernobyl
On the territory of the Chernobyl exclusion zone, Pripyat is the largest water body. The river bypasses the area from the east and then flows into the Kiev reservoir. Directly in the location area, the channel was artificially changed. Today it is a canal 11 kilometers long. It is open for navigation. An artificial channel was laid in order for Pripyat to pass the cooling pond of the nuclear power plant. Now these two bodies of water are separated by a dam and are at a distance of 300 meters. The channel has a depth of up to 4 meters and a width of up to 160. Pripyat plays an exceptional role in the removal of radionuclides outside the exclusion zone. Researches of scientists have shown that, unlike other ways (such as air, biogenic, technogenic), water takes out an order of magnitude more harmful substances. Through the desert zonealienation flows the deserted Pripyat - a river, the photo of which shows its banks with cemeteries of ships. The water flow carries radionuclides to the Kyiv reservoir. The Pripyat (river) in Belarus is not contaminated with harmful substances.
Economic importance of Pripyat
Water is a primary resource for any state. Pripyat supplies about 35% for the needs of the national economy: industrial enterprises, agricultural land, for drinking needs and for transport. Only for the needs of one person per day is calculated up to 550 liters. But reservoirs are becoming shallow, including Pripyat, and the government of the state of Belarus faces the most acute problem of protecting the country's water resources. A comprehensive project is being developed, which provides not only for savings, but also for the purification of water bodies and their protection. On the territory of Belarus, the maximum amount of cargo is transported along the Pripyat, especially along the route on which the Dnieper-Bug Canal is located.
Nature of Pripyat
On the territory of four regions of Belarus in 1999 a unique Republican landscape reserve "Middle Pripyat" was created. The purpose of its organization is to preserve the river floodplain ecosystem. The servants of the reserve are busy with the conservation of endangered and rare species of plants and animals. The area of the reserve is more than 90 thousand square kilometers. If earlier the description of the Pripyat River reported on the diversity of coastal nature, then in recent decades there has been an impoverishment. Now nature is gradually recovering. Onlyup to 50,000 geese stop here every year during their migration. On the territory of "Middle Pripyat" 72 species of plants are registered, of which 24 are endangered. The fauna is represented by 36 species of mammals, 182 - birds, 10 - amphibians, 6 - reptiles. Of these, 67 species are endangered.
Fishing in Pripyat
In Pripyat, up to the exclusion zone, there are 37 species of fish. Fishing on the river all year round. Summer fishing starts in late April or early May. Pike, asp, perch, roach, bream, sabrefish, ide, carp, catfish, pike perch, silver bream and roach are well caught here. In June, the fishermen take revenge for a long break. For example, near the village of Konkovichi, all kukans are hung with pikes. On feeders they catch scavengers everywhere and always. Other fish should be caught according to the solar schedule. One problem - a lot of nastiness. By September, the pike bite literally at the first cast. But the most successful fishing in autumn is trolling. At this time, the river is very quiet: the fish do not beat, the birds do not sing. You can catch almost everything: maggots, poppers, wobblers, turntables. In winter, many fishermen are attracted to the Norovli region. But there is a nature reserve, and you need to go out on the ice downstream.
Tourism
There are many tourists along the river and along the Pripyat in summer. Who goes on foot, considering the beauty of nature and local attractions, and who rafts or kayaks. There are developed routes by local travel agencies, but you can go on a trip on your own. Water tourism is relevant from June to September. Length of routes - an average of 100kilometers. The beginning of the journey is near the city of Pinsk. The main attractions along the banks of the river are wildlife sanctuaries and nature reserves. At the end of the route, you can admire the ancient city of Belarus Mozyr, which was first mentioned in chronicles in the 16th century. River cruises across the territory of Belarus take place on Pripyat.
