Western Siberia’s Tyumen region is bracing for potential catastrophic flooding this week after the Tura River, which runs through its capital city, surged to dangerous levels and authorities preemptively declared a state of emergency.
“The flood situation remains critical, with water levels in the Tura River continuing to rise,” Governor Alexander Moor wrote in a Telegram post on Tuesday. “In light of this, a regional state of emergency will take effect in Tyumen and the Tyumen district today at 12 p.m.”
Water levels in the Tura River have climbed to 8.77 meters (28.8 feet), Moor said, and are expected to keep rising following heavy rainfall across the Tyumen and neighboring Sverdlovsk region.
Regional authorities had earlier declared a state of heightened alert across the area surrounding the city of Tyumen due to localized flooding. Forecasters expect floodwater to peak between Friday and next Monday.
Moor said earlier this week that he 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 also been ordered to evacuate elderly and vulnerable residents from high-risk zones in advance.
The Tura River serves as the primary source of municipal drinking water for the city’s nearly 900,000 residents.
Following earlier floods in July, Tyumen 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.
