2024 Central Asian floods

Last updated
2024 Central Asian floods
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Damage in Kazakhstan
DateApril 2024
LocationCentral Asia (Kazakhstan, Russia)
Deaths8 [1]

In April 2024, extensive flooding impacted several regions of Kazakhstan and Russia, specifically in the Ural Mountains and Siberia. [2] Snow melt caused freshets [1] resulting in the Orsk Dam collapsing. [3] In Russia, a federal emergency was declared. [4] Hundreds of thousands of people were evacuated [5] [6] including 16,000 people in Kazakhstan. [7] At least eight people died and hundreds of livestock have drowned in floods that are described to have inundated an area the size of western Europe. [1]

Contents

Impact

Kazakhstan

The Ministry of Emergency Situations said on 10 April that it had evacuated 96,472 people, including 31,640 children, affected by the floods, which struck the western and northern parts of the country, including the cities of Aktobe and Petropavlovsk, [7] [8] as well as the regions of Atyrau, Aktobe, Akmola, Kostanay, East Kazakhstan, Northern Kazakhstan and Pavlodar. [9]

On 3 May, the Grand Prix of Kazakhstan was "postponed until later in the season" due to the on-going flooding and then cancelled. [10]

Russia

Flooding occurred in Orenburg, Tomsk, Tyumen and Kurgan Oblasts, which border Kazakhstan. [11] [8] The flooding was worsened by the collapse of a dam near Orsk on 5 April. [3] Several major river systems have seen their water levels rise, including the Ural River, which flows through Russia and Kazakhstan before entering the Caspian Sea, and the Tobol and Ishim Rivers, both of which are tributaries of the Irtysh River. [9] In Tyumen Oblast, authorities warned that flooding along the Tobol River would peak in May. [12]

Apart from the Orsk Dam, several other dams in the affected areas failed due to heavy rains and increased volumes of water, including one in Novotroitsk, Orenburg Oblast, [13] and another along the Tom River near Tomsk. [14]

The Russian government has not confirmed any fatalities. On 17 April, the Russian investigative news outlet iStories reported that seven people had died from the floods in Orenburg Oblast, citing relatives of the victims who also accused authorities of withholding the circumstances of their deaths to avoid making compensation payments. [15] On 22 April, the Russian investigative news outlet Agentstvo reported that the Dobrovolnoye uranium mines operated by Rosatom in Zverinogolovsky District, Kurgan Oblast, had been flooded, raising concerns over radioactive contamination in the Tobol River. [16]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ural (river)</span> Major river in Russia and Kazakhstan

The Ural, also known as the Yaik, is a river flowing through Russia and Kazakhstan in the continental border between Europe and Asia. It originates in the southern Ural Mountains and discharges into the Caspian Sea. At 2,428 kilometres (1,509 mi), it is the third-longest river in Europe after the Volga and the Danube, and the 18th-longest river in Asia. The Ural is conventionally considered part of the boundary between the continents of Europe and Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tobolsk</span> Town in Tyumen Oblast, Russia

Tobolsk is a town in Tyumen Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Tobol and Irtysh rivers. Founded in 1590, Tobolsk is the second-oldest Russian settlement east of the Ural Mountains in Asian Russia, and was the historic capital of the Siberia region. Population: 100,352 (2021 Census); 99,694 (2010 Census); 92,880 (2002 Census); 94,143 (1989 Soviet census).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tyumen Oblast</span> First-level administrative division of Russia

Tyumen Oblast is a federal subject of Russia. It is located in Western Siberia, and is administratively part of the Urals Federal District. The oblast has administrative jurisdiction over two autonomous okrugs: Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug and Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug. Tyumen Oblast, including its autonomous okrugs, is the third-largest federal subject by area, and has a population of 3,395,755 (2010).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tyumen</span> City in Tyumen Oblast, Russia

Tyumen is the administrative center and largest city of Tyumen Oblast, Russia. It is situated just east of the Ural Mountains, along the Tura River. Fueled by the Russian oil and gas industry, Tyumen has experienced rapid population growth in recent years, rising to a population of 847,488 at the 2021 Census. Tyumen is among the largest cities of the Ural region and the Ural Federal District. Tyumen is often regarded as the first Siberian city, from the western direction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orenburg</span> Administrative centre of Orenburg Oblast, Russia

Orenburg, formerly known as Chkalov (1938–1957), is the administrative center of Orenburg Oblast, Russia and former capital of Kazak ASSR. It lies on Eastern Europe, on the banks of the Ural River, where it forms the boundary between Europe and Asia, and is 1,478 kilometers (918 mi) southeast of Moscow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ural Economic Region</span> Economic region in Russia

Ural Economic Region is one of twelve economic regions of Russia. This prominent industrial region consists of the following subdivisions : Bashkortostan (Ufa), Chelyabinsk Oblast (Chelyabinsk), Kurgan Oblast (Kurgan), Orenburg Oblast (Orenburg), Perm Krai (Perm), Sverdlovsk Oblast (Yekaterinburg) and Udmurt Republic (Izhevsk). It is mostly located in the Central, and partly in the Southern and Northern parts of the Urals, but also includes parts of the East European and West Siberian Plains. Its extent is different from that of the Ural Federal District; Bashkortostan, Orenburg Oblast, Perm Krai and Udmurtia are in the Volga Federal District while the other three are in the Ural Federal District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ilek (river)</span> River in Kazakhstan

The Ilek is a river in the Aktobe Region, Kazakhstan, and Orenburg Oblast, Russia. It is 149 kilometres (93 mi) long, and has a drainage basin of 13,700 square kilometres (5,300 sq mi).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UTC+05:00</span> Identifier for a time offset from UTC of +5:00

UTC+05:00 is an identifier for a time offset from UTC of +05:00. This time is used in:

Geographically, Siberia includes the Russian Urals, Siberian, and Far Eastern Federal Districts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western Siberia</span> Geographic region in North Asia

Western Siberia or West Siberia is a region in North Asia. It is part of the wider region of Siberia that is mostly located in the Russian Federation, with a Southern part in Kazakhstan. It lies between the Ural region and the Yenisei River, which conventionally divides Siberia into two halves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uy (Tobol)</span> River in Russia

The Uy is a river in Chelyabinsk Oblast in Russia with its upper reaches in Bashkortostan. It partially flows along the borders of Chelyabinsk and Kurgan Oblasts with Kazakhstan. The Uy is a left tributary of the Tobol. The length of the river is 462 km. The area of its basin is 34,400 km2. It freezes up in November and stays icebound in April. The town of Troitsk and three reservoirs are situated on the Uy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aktobe Region</span> Region of Kazakhstan

Aktobe Region is a region of Kazakhstan. The name Aktobe comes from Kazakh aq 'white' and töbe 'hill' or 'top '; supposedly, Aktobe's initial settlers were able to see white mountains far to the north. The Aktobe regional capital is the city of Aktobe. The region is located in the western part of Kazakhstan. Its area is 300,629 km2, which is 11 per cent of the territory of Kazakhstan. The population is 909 673 as of June 1, 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kostanay Region</span> Region of Kazakhstan

Kostanay Region is a region of Kazakhstan. Its administrative center is the city of Kostanay. The population of the region is 835,686. The population living in Kostanay is 207,000 which is equivalent to 23% of the region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Borders of Russia</span> Political boundaries between Russia and neighboring territories

Russia, the largest country in the world, has international land borders with fourteen sovereign states as well as 2 narrow maritime boundaries with the United States and Japan. There are also two breakaway states bordering Russia, namely Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The country has an internationally recognized land border running 22,407 kilometres (13,923 mi) in total, and has the second-longest land border of any country in the world, after China. The borders of the Russian Federation were mostly drawn since 1956, and have remained the same after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. In 2014, Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean peninsula in a move that remains internationally unrecognized.

The Or is a river in Orenburg Oblast of Russia and Aktobe Province of Kazakhstan. It is a left tributary of the Ural, and is 332 km long, with a drainage basin of 18 600 km2. The river is formed by the confluence of the rivers Shiyli and Terisbutak, which have their sources on the western slopes of the Mugodzhar Hills, and it joins the Ural by the city of Orsk. Most of its discharge are from melting snow. The average discharge, 61 km from its mouth, is 21.3 m³/sek. The spring flooding lasts from April to mid-May. The rest of the year the waterlevel is very low. The river freezes in late October and is icebound until March - April. The river is used for irrigation and water supply.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Berdyuzhsky District</span> District in Tyumen Oblast, Russia

Berdyuzhsky District is an administrative district (raion), one of the twenty-two in Tyumen Oblast, Russia. As a municipal division, it is incorporated as Berdyuzhsky Municipal District. It is located in the south of the oblast. The area of the district is 2,800 square kilometers (1,100 sq mi). Its administrative center is the rural locality of Berdyuzhye. Population: 11,490 ; 13,019 (2002 Census); 14,659 (1989 Soviet census). The population of Berdyuzhye accounts for 44.9% of the district's total population.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kazakhstan–Russia border</span> International border

The Kazakhstan–Russia border is the 7,644-kilometre (4,750 mi) international border between the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation. It is the longest continuous international border in the world and the second longest by total length, after the Canada–United States border. It is in the same location as the former administrative-territorial border between the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic and the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic.

Siberian Tatar (Себертатарца) is a Turkic language spoken in Western Siberia, Russia, primarily in the oblasts of Tyumen, Novosibirsk, Omsk but also in Tomsk and Kemerovo. According to Marcel Erdal, due to its particular characteristics, Siberian Tatar can be considered as a bridge to Siberian Turkic languages.

Orenburzhie is a commercial airline headquartered in Orenburg, Russia, on the ground of Orenburg Airport. It serves as regular and charter passenger airline out of Orenburg and Izhevsk Airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orsk Dam collapse</span> 2024 dam failure in Russia

On 5 April, the Orsk Dam collapsed due to flooding along the Ural River, prompting evacuations. At least six people were injured and damage was estimated to be around 1.2 billion rubles.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Kilner, James (7 April 2024). "Watch: Worst floods in decades sweep Russia and Kazakhstan". The Telegraph. ISSN   0307-1235 . Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  2. "Federal emergency declared in Russia's flood-hit Orenburg region". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  3. 1 2 Gigova, Radina (6 April 2024). "Russian dam bursts forcing thousands to evacuate in flood-hit southern region". CNN. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  4. "Russia declares federal emergency over floods after dam bursts". The Guardian. 7 April 2024. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  5. "'Worst floods in decades' hit Kazakhstan and Russia". BBC News. 7 April 2024. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  6. "Russia, Kazakhstan evacuate over 100,000 people amid worst flooding in decades". Reuters. 9 April 2024. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
  7. 1 2 "Massive Flooding Inundates Kazakhstan, Forcing Thousands From Homes". RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty. 2 April 2024. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  8. 1 2 "Thousands evacuated as Kazakhstan and Russia battle huge floods". France 24. 10 April 2024. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  9. 1 2 "Tens of thousands evacuated in Russia, Kazakhstan amid worst floods in decades". France 24. 10 April 2024. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  10. "Grand Prix of Kazakhstan postponed until later in 2024". MotoGP.com. Dorna Sports. 3 May 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  11. "Russia's Orenburg Orders Mass Evacuation as City Braces for Flood Peak". The Moscow Times. 11 April 2024. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  12. "River Levels in Western Siberia Set to Peak Later Than Forecasted Due to 'Abnormal' Flooding". The Moscow Times. 30 April 2024. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  13. "'Devastating to See': Russia's Orenburg Region Battles Historic Flood". The Moscow Times. 10 April 2024. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  14. "Partial Dam Collapse in Siberia's Tomsk Region as River Swells". The Moscow Times. 15 April 2024. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  15. "At Least 7 People Killed in Russian Floods – IStories". The Moscow Times. 18 April 2024. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  16. "Russia's Record Floods Submerge Uranium Mines in Urals – Reports". The Moscow Times. Retrieved 18 April 2024.