The Urals region of Russia and northern Kazakhstan are experiencing some of the worst flooding in decades, prompting the evacuation of tens of thousands of residents from Kurgan and Orenburg. Rescue operations are currently underway to assist those stranded, including residents and animals.
Experts are increasingly alarmed about the potential for drinking water contamination due to radioactive materials. The Dobrovolnoye uranium mine, located in the village of Ukrainskoye within the flood zone, is estimated to contain around 7,077 tons of uranium.
Environmentalists warn that the rising water levels could lead to contamination of the nearby Tobol River with uranium. A local resident has captured footage suggesting that an old well, which has leaked uranium for the past 35 years, may already be submerged.
This severe flooding has been attributed to a sudden rise in temperatures this spring, coupled with high snow accumulation, increased humidity, and frozen ground. According to Natalia Frolova, a geography professor at Moscow State University, this is the worst flooding in 80 years.
Andrei Ozharovsky, an expert in the Radioactive Waste Safety program with the Russian Social-Ecological Union, warns that a uranium leak from the Dobrovolnoye mine could elevate uranium salt concentrations in the Tobol River, posing a risk to drinking water supplies.
Environmental activists in Kurgan have long urged authorities to ban uranium mining in the area due to concerns about the contamination of groundwater and local rivers.
The flooding has also severely impacted Kazakhstan, with videos showing streets inundated and dozens of homes partially submerged. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has described the floods as “a natural disaster… the likes of which have not been seen for many years.”
