In anticipation of floods: a six-kilometer dam is being built near Astana

In the village of Zhibek Zholy, Arshaly district, at a distance of less than 30 km from the capital of Kazakhstan, a protective dam is being built as part of flood control works, the Akimat of Akmola region reports.

Akim of Akmola region Marat Akhmetzhanov and Vice Minister of Emergency Situations of the Republic of Kazakhstan Serik Tulenbergenov inspected the progress of the work.

At the moment, more than half of the construction has been completed. The length of the protective structure is more than 6 km, and the height varies from 2 to 5.3 meters, depending on the terrain. The project also provides for the construction of three crossings for vehicles and livestock.

Janet Mikishev, Head of the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management, said that the completion of construction and installation works is scheduled for October this year. The first stage, including the construction of the main structure of the dam and crossings, is planned to be completed before the start of the flood season. Currently, the territory has been cleared, the fertile soil layer has been removed and inert material is being imported. 63 units of special equipment, including dump trucks, bulldozers, rollers and motor graders, are involved in the facility. Financing is provided from the fund “Demeu Kazakhstan Kory”.

“A lot of work was done on this site last year, a considerable amount of financial resources and human resources were spent. It is necessary to take into account all the issues that arose last year during the flood. First of all, the work must be done qualitatively. All contractors have been warned: strict control is being carried out, each allocated tenge is registered,” Marat Akhmetzhanov said.

In addition, in the Anarsky rural district of the Arshalynsky district, the protective dam of Lake Anarkol is being reconstructed. The readiness of the facility is 60%, and by the end of February it is planned to bring this figure to 90%. To prevent the overflow of water through the dam, 15 culverts will be laid in the lower part of the dam.