In the Kostanay region, people are being evacuated due to flooding. In the villages of Ekidin, Akkysy, Kyzylzhuldyz, Zhanakala and 9 wintering settlements in the region, more than 150 people, including 63 minors, have already been moved.
According to the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Republic of Kazakhstan, residents have been relocated to evacuation points in the city of Arkalyk. People were evacuated using boats and helicopters.
It is known that in the village of Kyzylzhuldyz alone, around 100 people were rescued from the water. Water that rushed in from the fields completely cut off the settlement from the outside world. The level of meltwater in the lowlands rose by 2 metres. In addition, a further threat of flooding emerged after water levels rose in the Sarytorgai River.
According to the emergency situations department, a state of emergency due to flooding has already been declared in the city of Arkalyk, Amangeldi District and Zhangeldi District.
Earlier, a state of emergency was introduced in Uralsk. It is reported that the city's mayor received a reprimand from senior management for 'irresponsibility' and the city's lack of preparedness for flooding. Also, on 16 March, a state of emergency was introduced in Semey.
Reprimands over the flood situation were also issued to several mayors in the Pavlodar region. The work of the mayors of Pavlodar District, Terenkol District, and the city of Aksu is considered the most unsatisfactory.
Incidentally, earlier the acting head of the emergency prevention department of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, Altai Myrzabaev, stated that local executive bodies had allocated more than 7 billion tenge for flood prevention measures across the country.
One gets the impression that it is profitable for someone to 'deal with' flooding every year. Just like, for example, repairing the same roads on the streets of Astana annually.