Amur River flooding in Russia affects 129 summer cottage plots VIDEO

The Amur River near Russia's Khabarovsk has risen above the threshold for adverse conditions, flooding or cutting off access to 129 summer cottage plots on islands near the Russian city, according to the Khabarovsk Krai Directorate of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations.

As of the morning of August 10, the river stood at 461 centimetres, 11 centimetres above the 450-centimetre threshold for adverse conditions. The level rose by 13 centimetres over the previous 24 hours. A water level of 600 centimetres is considered dangerous, Caliber.Az reports via Russian media.

Hydrologists forecast that the river could rise to 550–600 centimetres by the third week of August.

The lower level of the Admiral Nevelskoy Embankment in central Khabarovsk has been completely flooded, while the city’s island areas are considered particularly vulnerable. Internal waterways and lakes have overflowed, and groundwater has reached the surface.

On Bolshoy Ussuriysky, Dachny and Kabelnoy islands, water has entered or cut off access to 129 summer cottage plots.

Flooding has also affected sections of roads in the Khabarovsk and Nanai districts, including a section of Tsentralnaya Street in the village of Elabuga and a section of Naberezhnaya Street in the village of Mayak.

Rescue workers, together with the Khabarovsk city administration and other agencies, are monitoring the situation daily and warning residents, vacationers and fishermen about rising water levels.

“We are speaking with summer residents and vacationers to keep them informed about current and projected water levels. It is important for citizens to be aware of the developing situation and to take timely measures to remove their harvest and valuables from their plots, move their property to higher ground, and refrain from staying at their summer homes during the flooding period. Our main goal is to minimise the consequences of the flood,” said Maxim Chistyakov, head of the Civil Defence and Civil Protection Department of the Khabarovsk Krai Directorate of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations.

By Sabina Mammadli