Kuragaty

(also Kuragata), a river in the Dzhambul Oblast of the Kazakh SSR, a left tributary of the Chu River. It is 184 km long and drains an area of 8,760 sq km. Rising on the northern slopes of the Kirghiz Range, the river flows along the eastern edge of the Muiunkum Desert, where it loses a large part of its waters. The average discharge 78 km from its mouth is 2.36 cu m per sec. The Kuragaty is used for irrigation.