Shchara

Shchara

 

a river in the Byelorussian SSR, a left tributary of the Neman. The Shchara is 325 km long and drains an area of 9,990 sq km. The river rises in the Byelorussian Shelf. It is fed by mixed sources, but predominantly by snow; high water occurs between late February and May. The mean flow rate 63 km from the mouth is 31 cu m per sec. The river freezes over between November and January, and the ice breaks up between late February and the first half of April. The Shchara is linked with the Iasel’da River of the Dnieper basin by the Oginskii Canal and Vygonovskoe Lake. There are locks on the lower and middle course of the river, along the last 200 km of its length. The city of Slonim is situated on the Shchara.