At the Government meeting chaired by the Prime Minister Bakytzhan Sagintayev, the issue of preparing central and local executive bodies for the 2019 flood season was considered.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs together with local executive bodies is taking a set of measures to reduce the risk of emergencies during the spring flood.

“In order to prevent flooding, local executive bodies removed more than 3 million cubic meters of snow from settlements, created reserves of fuel and lubricants, inert materials, bags and explosives. 17.7 billion tenge is provided in reserves for emergencies and urgent expenses. For the purpose of prompt response to possible complications of the flood situation, special groups of forces and facilities of the internal affairs agencies with 15 thousand people and more than 2 thousand units of equipment were created,” Minister of Internal Affairs Kalmukhanbet Kassymov reported.

In addition, military units of civil defense retrofitted with equipment, tools and ready to participate in rescue operations. For carrying out rescue and other urgent work at the expense of the republican and local budgets, special drainage devices and equipment were additionally purchased in 2018. Questions of additional transfer of forces and means of rescue units of civil protection in case of possible complications of the flood situation in certain regions are being worked out.

Practical exercise of the actions of the governing bodies, forces and means of the civil protection system will be carried out Feb. 26-27 during the Koktem-2019 Republican Command Headquarters Exercise.

To prevent and eliminate flood threats, a roadmap has been implemented since 2017, which contains 637 measures to protect human settlements from flooding. Most of the events — 611 — are under the responsibility of local executive bodies. Over two years, 357 events have already been implemented for a total of 22.5 billion tenge. Construction and strengthening of 174 protective dams, repair of 119 hydraulic structures, 64 bridges with an increase in their carrying capacity were provided.

Kassymov said that special attention should be paid to the creation of free volumes in reservoirs. This will allow you to adjust the safe level of the rivers. In addition, it is necessary to adjust the plans and take additional measures to prevent flooding of roads and railways.

Minister of Industry and Infrastructure Development Zhenis Kassymbek, in turn, reported that in order to prepare national roads for the flood period, Action Plans were approved and flood control commissions were created at the central and regional levels from representatives of the Committee for Highways, JSC NC KazAvtoZhol, LLP Kazakhavtodor, as well as their regional branches.

From Feb. 1, 2019, round-the-clock duty is organized and daily patrols of roads are carried out, hazardous sections and bridges will be taken under control, on which the necessary road maintenance equipment is fixed. For the timely organization of work during the flood period, according to the approved plans, the necessary stocks of fuel, road materials and reinforced concrete structures are created.

"In order to timely prepare the railways and artificial structures for the flood period, an order of JSC NC Kazakhstan Temir Zholy is approved. For uninterrupted and safe movement of trains, until March 1, 2019, in the southern region, until March 15 in the western and eastern regions, until  April 1 in the northern region, 42 special trains with the necessary materials and structures will be formed,” Kassymbek said.

Minister of Energy Kanat Bozumbayev reported that in order to ensure preparedness for the flood period, energy brigades were formed with the country's energy enterprises, provided with special equipment of more than 2 thousand units, inert materials 56,000 units were stored in bags, fuel reserves are 360 ​​thousand tons.

In 2018, Kazhydromet made drastic changes in the system for developing hydrological forecasts. Thus, based on the practice of the European Flood Warning and Hydrological Forecasting System in North American countries, Kazhydromet, based on synoptic forecasts in 2019, will provide basic hydrological forecasts every 3 days, starting from March 1, with updates every 3 days in case of a sharp change in the hydrometeorological situation.

Chairman of the Committee for Water Resources of the Ministry of Agriculture Islam Abishev reported that according to the Plan for 2017–2025, central and local executive bodies planned the implementation of 288 projects, of which 30 projects are funded from the republican budget, 258 projects — from the local budget.

To prevent a possible flood hazard, stocks of construction and other inert materials and corresponding equipment and mechanisms have been prepared.

“In order to prepare for the spring flood period of 2019, the basin inspectorates created a working group on the inspection of hydraulic structures consisting of representatives of emergency and environmental authorities, local executive bodies and the RSE Kazvodkhoz. This working group conducted visual surveys on 1,136 hydrotechnical facilities. In the course of the surveys, it was established that 453 facilities require repairs,” said Abishev.

About the measures being taken in the regions to prevent fires in the residential sector and about preparedness for the upcoming flood-hazardous period, akims of the East Kazakhstan region Daniyal Akhmetov, Akmola region — Malik Murzalin and Deputy Akim of North Kazakhstan region Aidarbek Saparov reported.