‘Now the last days of winter fishing remain, fishermen will go there’
The spring high water in Tatarstan this year is expected to be in normal mode, with the exception of Kazan and Laishevsky district, where the volume of melted snow will bring more meltwater. Such preliminary forecast of the Federal State Budgetary Institution “Department for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring” was made at a meeting of the commission for the prevention and elimination of emergency situations and fire safety of the republic. There have also been a lot of pain points: 12 hydraulic structures with unflushed water, the threat of a bridge collapse in the Pestrechinsky district, which serves as a bypass road for the M7 highway. The Ministry of Transport of Tatarstan assures that the high water will not affect traffic on federal highways. Read the details in the material of Realnoe Vremya.
220 settlements in the risk zone
At the end of this week, a total melting of snow is expected, when the plus air temperature will be firmly established at night. Therefore, due to the upcoming spring high water, employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations in Tatarstan and road transport services have been put on high alert, and a “control check” has been carried out in the Government House.
In the morning on 21 March, Deputy Prime Minister of Tatarstan Rustam Nigmatullin held a meeting of the heads of the commission for the prevention and elimination of emergencies and fire safety, where not only responsible regional structures reported, but also the heads of those municipalities where the risk of flooding is high.
Opening the meeting, Nigmatullin said that 220 settlements in 39 districts could get into the flooding zone in an unfavourable scenario of spring flooding. 13,6 thousand people live here. Besides, flooding threatens 47 sections of roads, 22 automobile bridges, 20 socially significant objects and three economic objects in the republic.
In general, the high water situation will depend on the temperature that will be established at the time of opening of small rivers — the higher the daytime temperatures are, the faster the high water will pass.
Saving bridges and roads
In order to prevent the consequences of flooding of roads, it is necessary to carry out priority work on the repair and construction of three bridge structures, Deputy Minister for Civil Defense and Emergency Situations Nikolay Surzhko noted in his report.
Ice jams on rivers can cause emergencies during the passage of the spring high water, Nikolay Surzhko drew attention. One of the current measures is blackening and sawing ice, which can reduce the risk of flooding under bridges. According to his assessment, there are 63 dangerous sites on water bodies in the republic. In comparison with last year, negative dynamics in ice blackening is observed in most regions of the republic, with the exception of ice sawing. The overall level of work to combat congestion on water bodies is 43%, which, according to the Ministry of Emergency Situations, is insufficient. The ice has been completely cut in four districts.
Besides, it is necessary to clear culverts for the removal of meltwater.
High water does not threaten federal road sections
The head of the Ministry of Transport, Farit Khanifov, assured that the high water will not stop traffic on federal highways, and some problem areas on regional roads have been taken under control. Regarding the bridges, he said that 9 billion rubles have been allocated for their construction for the period 2022-2025, and he will sort out the declared problem points.
At this time, the condition of potentially dangerous structures will be determined, 132 sections of regional roads that have been flooded in the past years will be monitored.
The head of the Pestrechinsky district, Ilkham Kashapov, drew attention to a number of problems that require solutions at the republican level.
“Spring is not only high water, but also ensuring the safety of fishermen," Rafis Khabibullin, Minister of Civil Defense and Emergency Situations, head of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia in Tatarstan, drew attention. “From today, 10 hovercraft posts with round-the-clock operation mode have been set up on the rivers of the republic. Now the last days of winter fishing remain, fishermen will go there," he warned.
In conclusion, Rustam Nigmatullin returned to the problem of the safe maintenance of hydraulic structures.
“You, please, look at [the possibility of optimisation]. The budget is tight, we can hardly allocate more than we have. If once hydraulic objects were created for something, please study and see. If they are not needed, but it is better to reduce the number, and the remaining ones should be repaired and maintained qualitatively," he suggested.
He also warned that it was necessary to prepare thoroughly for high water.