ASTANA: Water levels in overflowing rivers were still rising on Tuesday in swathes of Russia and Kazakhstan that have been hit by massive floods, with Russia’s city of Orenburg and western Siberia bracing for a new peak.

Both Astana and Moscow have called the floods the worst in decades, introducing a state of emergency as water covered entire cities and villages. More than 100,000 people have been evacuated from the rising water — mostly in Kazakhstan.

The Kremlin said the situation remains “difficult” in large parts of Russia but insisted that President Vladimir Putin has — so far — no plans to visit the zone. The neighbours have pledged to cooperate on battling the floods.

“Since the beginning of the floods, more than 86,000 people have been rescued and evacuated,” the Kazakh government said on Tuesday.

It said that 8,472 of the evacuees were in temporary housing, with the rest believed to be in safe places in the community. Kazakhstan also said it had taken 81,000 animals to safety.Published in Dawn, April 10th, 2024