ORENBURG, April 17. /TASS/. The water level in the Ural River near the Russian city of Orenburg has dropped by 19 cm (roughly 7.5 inches) to 1,090 cm since Wednesday morning, local authorities said in a statement.
"The water level in the Ural near Orenburg currently stands at 1,090 cm (19 cm below the level recorded at 6:00 a.m. Moscow time). This is 160 cm above the ‘dangerous level’ mark," the statement reads.
The water level in the Sakmara River near the Tatarskaya Kargala village is 858 cm, with the "dangerous level" mark being 870 cm. The water level has risen by 23 cm since Wednesday morning. According to the Orenburg mayor’s office, the rising water level in the Sakmara River is creating the risk of flooding for two villages and an Orenburg district.
As of Wednesday morning, 11,200 households and 6,527 residential buildings were flooded in Orenburg, including 55 apartment buildings. A total of 1,720 people, among them 170 children, have been evacuated from flooded areas.