Kazakh President holds meeting of national headquarters

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev held a meeting of the national headquarters on flood control coordination and elimination of consequences. The Head of State emphasized that this year’s floods have exceeded the scale of the spring floods in 2012 and 2017, which were considered the largest in 30 years. He also stressed that the peak of the natural disaster has not yet passed. Therefore, it is necessary to mobilize all forces and means, including the Interior Ministry, National Security Committee, National Guard, Armed Forces, as well as concerned citizens and volunteers. The foremost priority is to prevent human casualties and provide maximum support to all affected residents and regions, the President highlighted.

“I instruct the country’s government, authorized state bodies, and regions’ governors to take a number of measures. First, all necessary assistance to the affected citizens should be provided. The reserves of the government and local authorities, as well as of the Kazakhstan Khalkyna fund, should be utilized. I call on all representatives of domestic businesses not to stay aside at this critical moment and assist to the people. Second, it is important to prevent an increase in prices for socially significant services and food products in the affected regions,” said the Head of State.

President Tokayev instructed to strengthen the predictive and analytical work, including Kazvodkhoz and Kazhydromet. In addition, the Ministry of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry, the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, and the Ministry for Emergency Situations must develop a new information system by year-end. It should enable modeling all possible emergencies, generating forecasts, providing recommendations, and calculating specific actions.

“The government and local executive bodies, primarily the regions’ governors, need to prepare for the summer period, during which fires and other natural disasters are possible. We can apply the experience of joint work of the Emergencies Ministry with Kazakhstan Gharysh Sapary national company in modeling floods in the eastern regions of the country. Finally, it is necessary to develop a plan and take effective measures to preserve flood water for agricultural needs. Local authorities should carry out works on diversion of meltwater from residential areas to riverbeds or reservoirs,” added the Kazakh President.

The Head of State also instructed a review of the provisions of the government-approved Concept of water resources management system development until 2030 and called for a thorough examination of international experience in flood management.