 In China, a short canal was constructed in 1987 (water intake at ) to divert some of the Irtysh water to the endorrheic Lake Ulungur, whose level had been falling precipitously due to the increasing irrigation use of the lake's main affluent, the Ulungur River.In the last years of the 20th century and the early 2000s, a much more major project, the Irtysh–Karamay–Urümqi Canal was completed.Increased water use in China has caused significant concerns among Kazakh and Russian environmentalists.