A dam breach occurred at the ‘Shopytykol’ dam near the village of Sabindy in the Korgalzhyn district of the Akmola region. The water is spreading across fields and crossing a section of the republican highway ‘Astana – Korgalzhyn’, though traffic remains open.
WHAT HAPPENED
According to the press service of JSC ‘NC ‘KazAvtoZhol’, the incident occurred near the settlement of Sabindy. The water reached the section of the republican highway ‘Astana – Korgalzhyn’ at the 75th kilometre, but overflow onto the roadway has been prevented.
As a result of the breach, the water is spreading across fields and crossing the road surface. The road surface remains intact, and vehicle traffic is open.
The akimat of the Akmola region noted that there is currently no threat of flooding to the village of Sabindy.
WHAT MEASURES ARE BEING TAKEN
Emergency repair work is underway at the site. Those involved in dealing with the consequences include:
- forces from the Ministry of Emergency Situations (MES),
- local executive bodies,
- the district police department,
- road services.
In total, about 170 people and 43 pieces of equipment have been deployed. Work is being carried out to strengthen the dam, add inert materials, and divert the water.
CONTEXT
The incident occurred during the spring flood period, when the load on hydraulic structures traditionally increases.
At the same time, on the interactive flood forecasting map, prepared by the Pavlov Analytical Centre together with the companies Geobox and Giscarta, the area around Sabindy had already been shown as a high-risk zone. The image is dated 3 April, where potentially vulnerable sections were visually displayed.
The map uses a colour scale to display threats and allows potential flood zones to be assessed in advance.
A video overview of the map is also available on YouTube, which explains the forecasting principles and possible uses of the tool in detail.