On 16 March, a water overflow occurred on a section of a national highway near the village of Marinovka in the Kostanay region.
"Due to a sharp warming and intensive snowmelt, a water overflow occurred across the national highway KZ 10-05 'Access Road to the village of Marinovka' at km 9 in the Kostanay region," the press service of JSC "NC "KazAvtoZhol" reported.
The section is located in the neutral zone between Kazakhstan and Russia on the Zhelkuar River. It is noted that due to the absence of a bridge crossing, an overflow occurs here annually.
"Because this section is located in the neutral zone, negotiations are underway with the Russian Federation regarding the joint construction of a bridge crossing," the statement said.
Initially, the length of the overflow section was about 40 metres, and the water depth reached 10 cm. Later, the length increased to 70 metres, and the water level rose to 20 cm. Consequently, traffic for all types of vehicles on this stretch of road has been restricted.
"Currently, 62 units of specialised equipment and 108 specialists are involved in maintaining the roads," KazAvtoZhol noted.
For reference, in March of last year, due to floods in the Kostanay region, residents of the villages of Yekidyn, Akkysy, Kyzylzhuldyz and Zhanakala were evacuated. People were rescued from the flooded areas using boats and helicopters. At that time, the level of meltwater in the lowlands rose to two metres.