Kazakhstan anticipates a sharp rise in Ural River levels, potentially threatening western regions and oil infrastructure, while Russia faces floods in Siberia.
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| Siberian rivers burst in Russia |
Both countries have recently faced the most severe floods in decades, resulting in the evacuation of tens of thousands of people.
Hundreds of people are constructing a 7-km barrier along the Ural River in Yanvartsevo village, West Kazakhstan, to protect the regional center Oral and prevent a potential Russian border breach.
The Ural flows through West Kazakhstan and the Atyrau region into the Caspian Sea, crossing the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) pipeline, which supplies 80% of Kazakhstan's essential oil exports.
Atyrau residents are leaving to wait for floods in other cities, while some are building sandbag or plastic barriers around their homes, according to local newspaper Ak Zhayik.
KazTransOil is constructing protective embankments at its Atyrau-samara pipeline, which pumps crude for further delivery to Germany's Schwedt refinery via Russia.
Russia's Tyumen region authorities have ordered the immediate evacuation of five villages along the Ishim River, urging residents to evacuate only their belongings.
Kurgan, a Russian city, has experienced a record high in water levels in the Tobol river, with parts of the city on the right bank being flooded, according to regional governor Vadim Shumkov.
Local authorities in the Kurgan region have evacuated over 15,000 people, according to TASS news agency.