Authorities have reported that nearly 12,000 houses have been flooded in a Russian region adjacent to Kazakhstan due to rising water levels in the Ural River, posing a continuous threat of further inundation.
The flooding prompted the evacuation of thousands in the Orenburg region, situated approximately 1,200 kilometers (745 miles) southeast of Moscow, following the bursting of a dam on the river last week due to surging waters.
In response to the situation, local authorities have declared a state of emergency in the region.
President Vladimir Putin, according to Orenburg governor Denis Pasler, disclosed that a total of 11,972 houses and 16 state medical facilities are flooded. Moreover, 3,600 houses, housing approximately 20,000 people, are at risk of imminent flooding as water levels persistently rise.
Mr. Pasler highlighted the gravity of the situation in Orenburg, the administrative capital of the region, where the water level in the Ural River surged to a historic peak of 10.87 meters (about 36 feet).
He noted that a total of 7,800 individuals have been evacuated from the inundated areas thus far.
The overall financial toll from the floods is projected to surpass 40 billion rubles (£342.6 million).
Meanwhile, farther east along the Kazakhstan border, authorities in the regions of Kurgan and Tyumen are bracing for potential floods as water levels in local rivers continue to rise.
Floods have also affected Kazakhstan, prompting authorities to declare a state of emergency in 10 out of the country’s 17 regions, as reported by Russia’s state news agency Tass.
According to Tass, as of Thursday, the state of emergency remained in effect in eight regions.
Since March, over 98,000 individuals have been evacuated from affected areas in Kazakhstan. Footage from the flooded regions depicts streets inundated with water, vast fields submerged, and numerous houses partially underwater.
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has characterized the floods as “a natural disaster… the likes of which have not been seen for many years.”
He remarked last week, “This is, perhaps, the biggest disaster in terms of its scale and consequences in over 80 years.”
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