Flood-hit Russian regions brace for devastating peak

A man carries a boy on his back in a flooded area of the city of Orenburg on April 13, 2024. | Photo Credit: AFP

Russia said on April 15 that icy waters would likely rise in flood-hit central regions of the country, as authorities announced new evacuations and rushed to contain damage caused by the deluge.

Western Siberia and the Urals regions, as well as Russia’s neighbour Kazakhstan, have suffered devastating floods that have forced thousands to flee inundated towns and villages.

The Kremlin said that water levels had retreated in some areas — like the worst-hit Orenburg region — but that the Kurgan and Tyumen regions were now threatened by rising waters.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov described the floods as “treacherous”. He said that flooding in Siberian regions will peak “in the middle of this week.” “All services have been fully mobilised and are taking all necessary measures,” Mr. Peskov told presspersons. Tyumen authorities said that they had evacuated eight villages due to the rising Tobol river and warned people that the Ishim river was also rising fast. “The situation is tense. The water on the Ishim river is rising very dynamically,” Tyumen governor Alexander Moor told Russian state television.

The Ishim, which flows through Russia and Kazakhstan, had started to overflow in places as its thick ice cover melts, authorities said.