Residents of the village of Atameken, in the Munaily district of the Mangystau region, report that due to rising groundwater levels, their homes are regularly flooded. As a result, some houses have already been disconnected from electricity and gas, and several families have been forced to temporarily leave their homes.
WHY RESIDENTS ARE LEAVING THEIR HOMES
As reported by KTK TV channel, residents are being forced to temporarily leave their homes due to the flooding.
One villager, Sergei Adaev, said that his family has been forced to live in rented accommodation.
"It's impossible to live like this. My son is currently living in a rented flat, and I am also, let’s say, staying with others. I appealed to the Akimat. They said there is no help, no money. There are no cheap loans. I asked about drainage. They said the drainage is also only in the project and won't happen until the end of this year," he said.
According to residents, groundwater rises in the spring and can continue to do so until the summer. In autumn, the water surfaces again.
HOW THEY ARE TRYING TO COMBAT THE WATER
Currently, vacuum pumps are being used to lower the water level. They pump out the water, but according to the residents, the water continues to rise.
People are asking the authorities for resettlement. The district Akimat explains that for this to happen, the houses must be classified as unsafe.
According to local authorities, in a village with a population of approximately 43,000 people, only three houses currently have this status.
WHAT THE DISTRICT AKIMAT SAYS
The Deputy Akim of Munaily District, Askhat Nurmukhan, stated that the authorities are taking temporary measures to solve the problem.
"In connection with the rise in groundwater, temporary measures are being taken. We are currently talking about creating a drainage system. Twenty systems have already been installed there. Recently, another 5–6 systems were added. So we are not sitting idly by in this situation," he said.
The materials do not specify when the full-scale construction of the drainage system might begin, nor what measures will be taken regarding the already flooded houses.