Governor of the Atyrau region Serik Shapkenov has declared a state of emergency. Vice Minister Kanat Bozumbayev previously advocated for the move.
«The discharge of water from the Iriklinsk water reservoir is about 2,500 cubic meters per second. It may increase to 4,500 cubic meters. So, we have 20 days to prepare for the flood. We will declare a state of emergency not to scare people but to roll out necessary measures to deal with the floods,» Bozumbayev stated.
During a meeting with representatives of emergency agencies, Bozumbayev said that local executive bodies need 3 to 4 days to stabilize the situation. They need this time to make a plan with specific steps, allocate funds and deploy human resources and machinery.
The official also said that the key task is to strengthen the banks of the Ural River in Atyrau and prepare drainage ways to discharge water effectively to the Caspian Sea.
On April 5, a dam near the town of Orsk in the Orenburg region of Russia burst as the water level in the Ural River reached 9.6 meters, almost twice as high as the standard of 5.5 meters. As a result, local authorities have also declared a state of emergency in the region. Mayor of Orenburg Sergey Salmin has called for residents of the city’s suburbs to leave the area as long as the river’s water level continues to rise.
