Around 40% of Kazakhstan's surface water reserves are concentrated in Eastern Kazakhstan. 1200 rivers flow through the territory of the region. The country's largest river, the Irtysh, originates on the border of 3 countries: China, Kazakhstan and Mongolia. A cascade of 3 hydroelectric power plants is located on the Irtysh River: Bukhtarma, Ust-Kamenogorsk, Shulbinsk.
Rivers of Eastern Kazakhstan are rich in fish, here you can catch pike, walleye, bream, grayling, perch and many more freshwater fish.
The main river of the region - the Irtysh - originates in the Mongolian Altai and flows into the Ob River. The total length of the waterway: Black Irtysh - Zaisan - Bukhtarma reservoir - Irtysh - Ob is more than 6000 km and is only slightly inferior in length to the Nile and Mississippi along with the Missouri. The length of the river within the region reaches 1311 km, and the width is 120-150 m. Along its way, the Irtysh receives numerous tributaries (rivers): Tainty, Bukhtarma, Uba, Kurchum, Narym, Karakaba, Ulba, Kaindy and others. In the south of the region, the Bakanas, Ayagoz, Urzhar, and Emel rivers are significant waterways.
