Flood in Karaganda Oblast wrecks havoc

Meltwater has flooded Abay town in Karaganda Oblast. According to the reports of KTK Channel, the water came in the afternoon on April 9, flooding the streets, yards and playgrounds. All have become simply impassable. Basements of apartment buildings are also flooded, Tengrinews reports citing the Kazakh TV channel.

Meanwhile, representatives of the Emergency Situations Department of Karaganda Oblast held an emergency press conference, where they informed that they had not had enough time to strengthen the nearby dams, Astana TV Channel reported.

"We’ve completed all the preparatory work. But we don’t have enough machinery. If the dams were strengthened in time, we would not be talking about the danger. But now we need to build sand barriers in the yards," said the deputy head of the Department of Emergency Situations Murat Katpanov.

The rescuers were sending out SMS warnings asking people in the central region of Kazakhstan to be prepared for possible flooding in and an emergency evacuation. 100 settlements were in the risk zone.

In East Kazakhstan Oblast 45 settlements found themselves in the flooding zone. Special machinery was sent to those villages in the second decayed of April 10. 

Floods in Karaganda Oblast affected six villages and the town of Karazhal in the area. Agadyr – Ortau – Ospen in Shet District was eroded, streets and courtyards were flooded at Atasu station in Zhanaarka District, in four villages in Karkaralinsk District and in one village in Shet District of Karaganda Oblast.