Kazakhstan deploys inflatable rubber dams to protect roads from flooding

Kazakhstan’s road operator QazAvtoJol reported installing inflatable rubber dams in the Kostanay region to prevent roads from flooding during the spring floods. The company cites their mobility and quick installation as the main advantages.

An inflatable rubber dam is a sealed pipe, 25 meters long and 1.5 meters high, made of durable, waterproof materials. Specialists say that this pipe can be filled with water or air and becomes extremely firm.

«A dam like this effectively controls the water flow, preventing it from spreading across the protected area. When the flood risk is gone, the water or air is deflated from the structure, which is then folded up and compactly stored for future use,» QazAvtoJol said in a post on Telegram.

According to highway engineers, the dams have already been installed on the roadway sections of the Kostanay–Auliyekol–Surgan highway (at the 211th kilometer) and the North Kazakhstan region border–Sarykol–Kostanay highway (between the 689th and 690th kilometers).
 
Previously, Kazakhstan’s Minister for Emergency Situations Chingis Arinov informed President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev that the flood situation in the country is currently stable and under control.