Water level in Russia river above critical level, emergency evacuation to begin soon

The water level in the Ural River near the Russian city of Orenburg has risen above the critical level of 9.3 meters and is currently at 9.31 meters, state-run RIA news agency reported on Tuesday citing Orenburg Mayor Sergei Salmin’s office.

Earlier Salmin had described the flood situation in Orenburg as “very serious” and said local authorities could begin emergency evacuation at any time.

More than 90,000 people have been evacuated from rising rivers in northern Kazakhstan and Russia’s southern Urals, which are witnessing one of their worst flood disasters in decades.

Rivers have been overflowing for days in 10 regions of Kazakhstan, as well as in Russia’s western Siberia and Orenburg regions, flooding entire cities and villages.

Both Moscow and Astana have introduced a state of emergency.