Central market flooded in Semey

The central market and the surrounding streets have been flooded in Semey city in eastern Kazakhstan, Tengrinews reports. Traders says that melt waters have been rising in the past several days and have flooded their boutiques and stalls. People had to put up barriers from any useful materials they could get their hand on to protect their goods from water. “We have tried to scoop the water with buckets, but it has not effect,” the entrepreneurs say. People of this area face the spring flooding problem again and again every year, because those streets lack a proper sewage system. But this year there are more flood water than always, the traders complain. Emergency situation crews have lent some aid to the market traders and their customers. They have spent a whole day pumping out water from the street using fire-fighting vehicles. Housing maintenance and utilities department is also working hard to lift the flooding threat from the city. It has already gathered and transported 7.4 thousand cubic meters of snow away from the city and pumped away 2 thousand cubic meters of water from the areas where the flooding threat is highest.