Water Level in Ishim River Rises Alarmingly, Prompting Urgent Evacuations in Tyumen Oblast

The water level in the Ishim River in Russia's Tyumen Oblast has risen by a staggering 40 cm in just 6 hours, reaching a critical height of 861 cm. Authorities have reported an ongoing rise in the water level, prompting urgent calls for evacuation in several villages along the river.

The governor of the Tyumen region has called on residents of five villages located on the right bank of the Ishim River - Sinitsina, Simanova, Detski Dom, Dom Otdija, and Dom Sanatori - to evacuate immediately to temporary shelters. The region has not experienced floods of this scale since 1947, with the current situation attributed to abrupt warm weather leading to a massive snowmelt.

The regional government has indicated that six towns in four districts have been cut off by the floods, with teams from the Ministry of Emergencies providing food and medicines by boat to the affected residents. More than 15,000 people have been evacuated in the neighboring Kurgan region due to the flooding, where water levels in the Tobol River have also reached record highs, leading to flooding in parts of the city of Kurgan.

Why this matters: The severe flooding in the Tyumen and Kurgan regions of Russia has forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate their homes, with the scale of the disaster not seen in decades. The rising water levels pose a significant threat to the safety and well-being of residents in the affected areas, requiring urgent action from authorities to mitigate the impact of the floods.

The flooding has also affected neighboring Kazakhstan, where the Ural River, known as the Oral River in Kazakhstan, is expected to rise sharply, threatening two western rich, regions and key oil infrastructure. Hundreds of people are building a 7-km barrier along the Ural River to protect the regional center of Oral. The Ural River flows through areas crossed by the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) pipeline, which pumps 80% of Kazakhstan's vital oil exports.

In the city of Atyrau, many residents are leaving to wait out the peak of the floods in other cities, while some are building sandbag or plastic barriers around their houses. Kazakh state oil pipeline company KazTransOil is also building protective embankments at its facilities in the rich, regions, including the Atyrau-Samara pipeline, through which crude is pumped for further delivery to Germany's Schwedt refinery.

The Ministry of Emergency Situations has noted that the water level in the Tobol River will continue to rise as a result of releases from the reservoirs of Kazakhstan. Local authorities are working tirelessly to protect residents and infrastructure from the devastating effects of the floods, with the situation expected to remain critical in the coming days.

Key Takeaways

• Water level in Ishim River, Russia rose 40 cm in 6 hrs, prompting evacuations.
• Floods in Tyumen and Kurgan regions force 15,000+ evacuations, not seen since 1947.
• Ural River in Kazakhstan also rising, threatening oil infrastructure and regional centers.
• Authorities building barriers, evacuating residents to protect against flood impacts.
• Situation expected to remain critical in coming days as water levels continue rising.