In Belarus, located in Eastern Europe and bordering Russia, Poland, Latvia, Ukraine and Lithuania, there are 20,800 rivers and approximately 11,000 lakes, most of which are located in the north and north-west of its territory. Undoubtedly, the main role for the country is played by such well-known rivers as the Dnieper, Western Dvina, Sozh, Pripyat, Neman and other large reservoirs, but the numerous smaller ones also play an important role.
The Shchara River also belongs to such. It will be discussed in the article.
General information about the water resources of the republic
The total length of all rivers is more than 90.5 thousand kilometers, with 93% being small (length up to 10 km). The main source of water is precipitation. In the spring, in the process of snow melting, floods begin in the water bodies, which sometimes lead to flooding of coastal settlements.
The largest rivers of Belarus in length, having a length of more than 300 km, are the Dnieper, Berezina, Pripyat, Sozh, Neman, Ptich, Zapadnaya Dvina, Shchara and others.
It should be noted that the potential resources of the Belarusian rivers are not very large for the construction of hydroelectric power stations and they are estimated at a total of approximately 900 MW. Many of them are heavily polluted as a result of economic activities.
Shchara River
Its name, which is the left tributary of the Neman and the largest in the Baranavichy district of the Brest region, comes from the Baltic saras, which translates as βnarrowβ. According to another version, the name comes from the geographical ancient term "source".
The pool area is more than 9 thousand square meters. km with a length of just over 300 km (in Belarus). It takes its beginning on the southern slope of the Belorussian Ridge, then flows among the marshes of Polesye, and then in the lower reaches extends along the Neman Lowland. The river is mixed in nutrition, and ice freezing occurs between December and March. It is connected with the currently inactive Oginsky Canal and the Yaselda River, which belongs to the Dnieper basin. It is locked for 220 kilometers. One of the large settlements located near the river is the city of Slonim.
Source Shchara
The beginning of the Shchara River is considered to be Lake Koldychevskoe, but being at the reservoir, it is easy to find several small streams that flow into it.
There is information (the work of Alexander Shotsky - Baranavichy local historian) that the source is in a swampy area covered with willow and alder. This place is located northwest of the village of Koldychevo, along the P5 highway (Baranovichi-Novogrudok). However, today this lowland has no runoff (the pipe passing under the road is completely dry). In some areas on the site of the former riverbed (from the road to the east), hydrophilic vegetation indicates the emergence of groundwater. But the river now begins about 200 meters from the village (north).
In the village itself, despite several small dams created by local villagers to use water for economic purposes, the river is gaining strength. Having passed through a cascade of several ponds on the territory of the former Shalevich estate, river waters flow into the very Koldychevsky lake. The river lake does not give strength due to the fact that peat is being extracted near it, which requires lowering the water level in the former swamp.
Tributaries and estuary
The main right tributaries of the Shchara River are r. Myshanka (109 km), Grivda (85 km), Issa (62 km), Podyavork (35 km), Lokhozva (29 km), Lipnyanka (23 km). The left tributaries are the Witch (35 km), Lukonitsa (32 km), Sipa (26 km).
Shchara flows into the Neman with a left tributary, 1.5 kilometers northeast of the village of Novoselki.
Finally
After Lake Shchara, in essence, it represents a drainage channel of a drainage network. It acquires its natural splendor only after the village of Torchitsy.
In the waters of a relatively clean river, there are fish such as bream, perch, pike, tench, crucian carp, ide, roach, burbot, silver bream and crucian carp.