Chilik

(also Shilik; in the upper course, Dzhangyryk), a river in Alma-Ata Oblast, Kazakh SSR; a left tributary of the Hi River. The Chilik is 245 km long and drains an area of 4,980 sq km. It rises on the southern slopes of the Transili Alatau and subsequently enters the Hi Basin, where it branches into the Kur-Chi-lik and Ul’khun-Chilik. The Chilik empties into the Kapchagai Reservoir. It is fed by glaciers and by snow. The mean flow rate 63 km from the mouth is 32.2 cu m per sec. The Chilik is used for irrigation.