Losen Julie

The Naryn River is the largest river in the western part of the Tien Shan range (Kyrgyzstan). The river is of great economic interest as it feeds many agricultural areas and hydroelectric dams along its bed. One of the largest landslides in Central Asia, called Beshkiol, is 10 km long and has been the subject of a major study.³The Beshkiol landslide has been identified on the banks of the Naryn River, but the age and mechanism of its creation are still debated. Did the Beshkiol landslide create several dam lakes in the past? What size and when were these dam lakes created? What triggers these large landslides? What does this mean about the dynamics of dam lake development, landslides and the risks associated with these major natural hazards in the Tien Shan range?