Bega (Tisza)

The Bega (Romanian: Bega, Serbian: Begej (Бегеј), German: Bega, Hungarian: Béga) is a 254 km long river in Romania (178 km) and Serbia (76 km). It rises in the Poiana Ruscă Mountains in Romania, part of the Carpathian Mountains, and it flows into the Tisa river near Titel, Vojvodina, Serbia. Its drainage basin covers an area of 4,458 km² (1,721 sq mi).

Course

Romania

The river starts at the confluence of its headwaters Bega Luncanilor and Bega Poieni. After flowing north, the river bends to the west at Curtea, passing through Făget, Balinț, and Topolovățu Mare, where it enters the low Banat plains. There, it begins to spill over, so the Bega canal was constructed tracking Bega Veche, which is also channelled for 97 km, as a parallel waterway for 114 km, before the two rejoin northeast of Zrenjanin, Serbia. The Bega canal runs through Timișoara and continues to the southwest, enters Serbia near the village of Hetin.

Serbia

Near Jankov Most, the Begej becomes part of the large canal Danube-Tisa-Danube (or DTD) and turns south, receiving waters from the Novi Begej. There it is separated from DTD route turning west and reaching Zrenjanin. From there it continues to the south, using the old river bed of the Tisa, passing through Ečka, Stajićevo and Perlez. In this part, it flows through marshlands, some of which are transformed into fishponds, like Belo jezero (Cyrillic: Бело језеро; White lake) and Fishpond Ečka (Serbian: Ribnjak Ečka, Рибњак Ечка), the largest one in Serbia with an area of 25 km². The remaining parts of wetland make the largest swamp in Serbia, Carska bara (Cyrillic: Царска бара; Imperial marsh, 11 km²), after which Begej empties into the Tisa.

Characteristics

Through the Tisa and Danube rivers, it belongs to the Black Sea catchment basin. Its own catchment area is 2,878 km².

The channelled parts of both Stari Begej and Novi Begej are navigable.

Settlements on Novi Begej include the villages of Srpski Itebej (with a huge fishpond), Novi Itebej, Torak (formerly Begejci) and Žitište.

Tributaries

The following rivers are tributaries to the river Bega (in downstream order):

Left: Bega Luncanilor (Bega Mare), Pârâul Carpenului, Șopot, Vădana, Bucovăț, Zopana, Bălășina, Gladna, Timișel, Glavița

Right: Bega Poieni (Bega Mică), Homojdia, Năndrăneasca, Icui, Zidileasca, Bunea, Cladova, Nieregiș, Fădimac, Miniș, Chizdia, Temeșiț, Mociur, Valea Țiganului, Gherteamoș, Potoc-Remetea, Behela, Bega Veche

Part of the water from the river Timiș is diverted towards the Bega by the Coșteiu-Chizătău Canal.

Settlements located near the river

Romania

In downstream order: Margina, Făget, Răchita, Mănăștiur, Leucușești, Bethausen, Cutina, Bodo, Balinț, Chizătău, Ictar-Budinț, Topolovățu Mic, Recaș, Remetea Mare, Ghiroda, Timișoara, Utvin, Sânmihaiu Român, Uivar, Otelec

Serbia

Bega in Zrenjanin

In downstream order: Hetin, Srpski Itebej, Novi Itebej, Torak, Žitište, Banatski Dvor, Jankov Most, Klek, Zrenjanin, Ečka, Lukino Selo, Stajićevo, Perlez, Titel

References

• Mala Prosvetina Enciklopedija, Third edition (1985); Prosveta; ISBN 86-07-00001-2
• Jovan Đ. Marković (1990): Enciklopedijski geografski leksikon Jugoslavije; Svjetlost-Sarajevo; ISBN 86-01-02651-6
• Administrația Națională Apele Române - Cadastrul Apelor - București
• Institutul de Meteorologie și Hidrologie - Rîurile României - București 1971
• ICPA - Comune vulnerabile - Județul Timiș [1]
• Trasee turistice - județul Timiș [2]

Maps

• Harta județului Timiș [3]

Images

• 
  The Bega near Ečka
• 
  The mouth of the Bega into the Tisa, across Titel