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Oil-rich regions in Kazakhstan brace for floods, Siberian rivers burst in Russia

Kazakhstan braced on Friday for levels on the Ural River to rise sharply, something that might threaten 2 of its western areas and key oil facilities, while Russia came to grips with floods in and near Siberia.

Both countries have in the last couple of weeks fought the worst floods in decades, which have required 10s of thousands individuals to evacuate.

Hundreds of individuals were developing a 7-km (4.3-mile) barrier on Friday along the Ural River in the town of Yanvartsevo, in the West Kazakhstan area, about 20 km from the Russian border, which officials stated would likewise secure the local centre Oral.

The Ural goes through West Kazakhstan and the Atyrau area as it flows into the Caspian Sea, an area likewise crossed by the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) pipeline, which pumps 80% of Kazakhstan's important oil exports.

In the city of Atyrau, local newspaper Ak Zhayik reported numerous locals were delegating suffer the peak of the floods in other cities, while some were developing sandbag or plastic barriers around their homes.

Kazakh state oil pipeline company KazTransOil said it was building protective embankments at its centers in the region, consisting of the Atyrau-Samara pipeline, through which crude is pumped for additional delivery, through Russia, to Germany's Schwedt refinery.

In Russia, authorities in the Tyumen region in Siberia called for the immediate evacuation of 5 villages along the Ishim River, advising individuals to grab only their documents, medications and bedclothes.

In the Russian city of Kurgan, water levels in the Tobol river have actually risen to a record high, Kurgan local governor Vadim Shumkov said on the Telegram messaging app, and parts of the city on the right bank of the river have been flooded.

More than 15,000 individuals have actually been evacuated in the Kurgan area, the TASS news firm pointed out regional authorities as saying.