BARNAUL, May 31 /ITAR-TASS/. The flood in the Altai Republic will not have disastrous effects on the nature, the Gebler Environmental Society chairman has said.

“The flood is very dangerous for people. This is the disaster. But it is natural for the environment. Of course, it will have the effects on animals and plants: many birds laid eggs. Somewhere eggs hatched. Somewhere animals failed to go up high in the mountains,” Alexei Gribkov told Itar-Tass.

“However, the abundance of water is well for waterfowls. Over the past years we faced droughts and the water level lowered,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Altai Republic government says the flood destroyed 230 kilometres of roads and 1.5 kilometres of the M52 Highway that connects the region to Mongolia.

The flood destroyed 15 bridges. Roads can start being restored after the water level begins lowering. “Foodstuffs, communication tools and engines are being delivered by horse-drawn vehicles,” the government says.

According to the republic’s authorities, there is no electricity in six villages because “forty-eight transmission towers were flooded”.

Electricity supply is expected to be restored by June 1-4, the authorities say.

Fourteen settlements have been flooded in the Altai Republic. Totally, 1,675 people have been evacuated.

The situation is more difficult in the village of Maima. The flood hit 280 houses. Another 108 buildings may be also flooded.

Heavy rains hit Altai Territory, the Republic of Khakassia and the Altai Republic. Thousands of houses have been flooded. Rescuers are evacuating the flood-hit people. A state of emergency has been introduced in the three regions.