ASTANA – Kazakh Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov held a meeting on the implementation of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s instructions on eliminating the consequences of floods and expediting restoration efforts, following the peak of floods across the country on May 20.
Photo credit: primeminister.kz
Flood control efforts are ongoing in the Atyrau Region, particularly along the Zhaiyk River, where water levels remain critical.
Across the regions of Kazakhstan affected by floods, more than 60,000 people have returned to their homes. A total of 26,651 families received one-time payments exceeding ten billion tenge (US$22.5 million).
Some 239 families have been provided with new houses and apartments to replace destroyed homes. In the Aktobe, Kostanai, Atyrau, Pavlodar, North and West Kazakhstan Regions, 794 new houses are under construction for affected citizens. Moreover, 891 families received compensation for housing repairs and restoration. In total, 11,137 residential buildings have been inspected, with damage assessments completed on 7,863 structures. State assistance for dead livestock has surpassed 1.3 billion tenge (US$2.9 million).
In the West Kazakhstan Region, the flood situation has nearly stabilized, with over 8,500 people returning home. The commission continues to inspect houses and assess the damage. Preliminary data indicates that 466 self-built homes and more than 2,500 country houses, which serve as the only residences for their owners, are beyond repair.
Construction of 357 new houses has commenced, with completion expected by the end of August. This includes the construction of 114 houses in the Syrym district, funded by the Kazakhstan Khalkyna Fund at a cost of 3.2 billion tenge (US$7.2 million). Additionally, 75 houses will be built by local subsoil companies Zhaikmunai, Condensate, and Aksaigasservice, and another 71 housing units will be constructed by Karachaganak Petroleum Operating Company through the Akzhaiyk Fund.
According to governor Nariman Turegaliyev, the administration has been instructed to quickly assess and build or purchase new housing this summer for residents who were left without their only home. Houses will not be built in the same location, he added, as there will be a ban on the construction of self-built homes in the lowlands.
