Tyumen Region Faces Major Flooding as Tura River Swells
Western Siberia's Tyumen region has declared a heightened alert as the Tura River rises to dangerous levels, prompting preparations for potential catastrophic flooding.
The Tyumen region in Western Siberia is bracing for potentially catastrophic flooding this week after the Tura River, which flows through its capital city, surged to dangerous levels on Monday. Governor Alexander Moor said the river is behaving very unusually this year, with the entire floodplain submerged. Water levels in the Tura reached 8.59 meters and are expected to continue rising following heavy rainfall across Tyumen and the neighboring Sverdlovsk region.
Regional authorities declared a state of heightened alert around the city of Tyumen last week due to localized flooding. Forecasters expect floodwaters to peak between Friday and next Monday. Moor directed local officials to maintain round-the-clock monitoring of all dams and levees and to immediately reinforce any breaches or leaks with sandbags and soil. Teams have been ordered to evacuate elderly and vulnerable residents from high-risk zones in advance.
The Tura River serves as the primary source of drinking water for the city's nearly 900,000 residents. Following earlier floods in July, residents complained of a sharp, unbearable smell of sewage, swamp muck, rot, and dead fish coming from their tap water. An online petition demanding clean water claimed some residents developed skin rashes, allergic reactions, and symptoms of poisoning after drinking it.
