Flood Threat Grows as Region Stays Calm After Extensive Preparations
Atbasar District races to complete record flood defenses before disaster strikes
A press tour organized by the Regional Crisis Center (RCC) to Atbasar and the village of Stary Koluton in Astrakhansky District revealed that critical flood prevention efforts are underway without interruption.
Atbasar District has long been at high risk of flooding, with 16 villages in potential inundation zones. Here, spring preparations leave no room for delay. Our first stop in Atbasar is the Zhabay River, where an observation deck has been set up.
According to Kenesh Alimzhanov, the district's akim (governor), preparations for this year's floods began as early as last summer. Authorities developed a 29-point prevention plan, allocating 288 million tenge from the district budget to fund the measures.
Nearly all planned work has now been completed: controlled explosions were carried out, canals and irrigation ditches were cleared, embankments were reinforced, a 2-kilometer protective dike was strengthened, and 22 water drainage structures were installed. The city continues active snow removal, with municipal services already transporting 185,000 cubic meters of snow to landfills.
The approach to this task has changed dramatically. In past years, snow was removed only on the eve of flooding, but this winter, clearance operations were conducted four times—with local businesses joining the effort. Throughout the season, community cleanup days were held under strict guidelines: each household was required to clear snow five meters beyond their fence line, after which municipal services removed it to landfills free of charge.
This shared-responsibility model between residents and city services is a first for Atbasar. Now, as the flood season arrives, the difference is stark. Areas where guidelines were followed remain under control, while those who ignored the calls are facing the consequences of inaction.
A major project underway is the dredging, widening, and straightening of the Zhabay Riverbed, along with the construction of a protective dam to shield Atbasar from flooding. The 7.3-kilometer stretch comes with a price tag of 9.8 billion tenge, reflecting relentless round-the-clock labor. Already, 1.5 kilometers of the river have been straightened, accelerating water flow and reducing overflow risks. Simultaneously, sediment is being removed and banks reinforced. After the floods subside, contractors will finalize the slopes, locking in the results of their work.
Flood Preparedness in Full Swing as Region Braces for Spring Thaws
The city has stockpiled sandbags filled with inert material, ready for rapid deployment to protect residential areas, reinforce riverbanks, and build temporary flood barriers if needed. A team of 20 servicemen from military unit 99265 of the Territorial Defense Forces has been preparing the sandbags in Atbasar since March 20. Sergeant Third Class Dilyar Daniyarov, commander of the sappers' unit, reports that 12,000 of the planned 39,000 sandbags have already been stacked. The reserve is being assembled with potential water level rises in mind, ensuring vulnerable areas can be reinforced at a moment's notice.
Alexander Romanchenko, the district akim's advisor on flood prevention and head of a local private enterprise, is confident the flood season will pass smoothly thanks to extensive preparations. Massive snow removal efforts have already diverted 90% of meltwater away from the city—unlike previous years, when only main streets were cleared, this time even minor alleys and side streets were included. Now, authorities are awaiting water from the steppe, having preemptively cleared all gullies, canals, and irrigation ditches. Four citizen brigades have been formed, working around the clock to safeguard their assigned areas.
Meltwater flowing in from the steppe remains a major flooding risk. To counter this, a protective embankment has been constructed at the 976th kilometer of the Almaty–Yekaterinburg republican highway, acting as a barrier against the incoming water. Steppe runoff will now be redirected into the Uzynkol River channel.
According to Begaimbet Makhmetov, deputy akim of the district, the structure is of strategic importance, shielding both the roadway and adjacent lands from steppe flooding. The embankment was built following scientific recommendations from the Kazakh Research Institute of Water Management (LLC).
Every spring, the village of Stary Koluton in Astrakhansky District faces severe flood threats. Water surging in from five surrounding districts often inundates homes and cuts off the village from the outside world. Zhanatykhan Dauletkerov, akim of the rural district, notes that during peak flooding, the danger comes not from local snowmelt or steppe runoff, but from the sheer volume of water converging on their area. The challenge, he says, is twofold: containing the floodwaters while ensuring uninterrupted transport links—and this critical work is now underway.
Since February 1, reinforcement efforts have been underway along the Koluton River near the villages of Koluton and Stary Koluton, including shoring up banks, dredging the riverbed, and widening its channel. The three-phase, 5-billion-tenge project is being implemented by Kokshetau Hydrogeology (LLC). Near the Irchenko railway station bridge—a known bottleneck where water tends to spread widely—workers are expanding and deepening a 7.7-kilometer drainage canal to a width of 34 meters and a depth of 4 meters.
The second site has also been fully prepared: reeds and other vegetation have been cleared, dredging work is ongoing, and the 11-kilometer riverbed is being cleaned. Work on the third site will begin once the flood season ends. The project is designed to fundamentally transform the region's hydrogeological conditions and reduce risks for villages that face annual flooding.
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