The tributary Oka and Iya rivers, which rise in the northern sector of Eastern Sayan mountains, form the “jaws” of the dragon, while 400 km of the Angara River forms the tail. There are newer dams built downstream from this lake. Other dams are in the planning stage, but regional environmental challenges may prevent funding.Photo by NASA
SOUTHERN SIBERIA - the nicknamed “Dragon Lake” - is a manmade body of water that forms the Bratskove Reservoir - built along the Angara River near the city of Bratsk. The Angara is dammed in four locations in order to provide hydro-power for industry and development in this remote mountainous region. The Angara River is the only drainage for Lake Baikal, and flows 1840 km from the region’s capital, Irkutsk, to the Yenisei River at Strelka. This watershed holds more water than any other in the world, and produces oceanic outflow that exceeds by 1.5 times the combined watershed outflow of the Mississippi-Missouri in the United States. As with other Siberian rivers - the Angara’s flow has increased due to global warming trends - raising concern that altered salinity in the Arctic may have a negative impact on global ocean currents.