Buldyrty

The Buldyrty (Бұлдырты; Булдырты) is a river in the West Kazakhstan Region, Kazakhstan. It is 195 km long and has a catchment area of 4660 km2.

The Buldyrty belongs to the Ural basin and flows across the Syrym, Karatobe and Shyngyrlau districts. The banks of the river are a seasonal grazing ground for local cattle. The name of the river originated in the Kazakh word for turbid or murky.

Course
The Buldyrty begins at the confluence of two small rivers, the Bylkyldagan and Zhosaly, close to Aksuat village. It heads in a southwestward direction across Shyngyrlau District, forming meanders within a floodplain. Shortly after Karasu village it bends southwards for a stretch until its mouth in the northern shore of lake Zhaltyrkol, located among other salt lakes. The Buldyrty river flows roughly parallel to the Olenti to the northwest and the Kaldygaity to the southeast.

In the upper reaches, down to Karagash (until 2007 Novopetrovka), the river valley has a steep slope, reaching a height up to 20 m. In some places there are sand dunes stretching along both banks. The Buldyrty has three main tributaries, the Shili on the left, and the Tamdy and the 70 km long Zhympity on the right. The river is fed by snow and rain.