BARNAUL, June 04. /ITAR-TASS/. More than 20,000 people cannot return to their homes and apartments in Altai Territory, hit by the worst flood for the past 45 years, Governor Alexander Karlin has said.

Totally 29,000 people were evacuated from 72 villages in 14 rural areas and the city of Biysk. As of May 4 a total of 8,756 houses and 9,087 farmlands were flooded.

In the latest days the water level has lowered in the Katun, Anuya, Biya, Charysh and Perchanaya rivers. Meteorologists say rains are expected that is why the situation remains tense.

Heavy rains hit Siberia - 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.

One citizen died in Altai Territory and five went missing, the chief of the Interior Department for Altai Territory, Oleg Torubarov said.

Policemen are on high alert in 14 flooded areas, he said.

The water level rises to a critical level in the Republic of Altai, Tyva, Khakassia and Altai Territory.

The Altai Republic government says the flood destroyed 230 kilometres of roads and 1.5 kilometres of the M52 Highway that connected 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.

Russia’s Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev emphasised the need to rapidly estimate the damage to the flood-hit Siberia and determine the amount of compensations.

“It is necessary to estimate the damage quickly... because people have begun asking for compensations. All documents should be prepared shortly,” Medvedev said.

Russia’s Emergencies Minister Vladimir Punchkov said people, who were struck by the flood in Siberia, could be provided from 10,000 roubles to 100,000 roubles for the loss of property.

“We’re estimating the damage. Today a document has been prepared. I ask you to support the decision for providing funding from the federal budget,” Puchkov told Medvedev.

“I mean material assistance on the amount of 10,000 roubles. I ask you to provide 50,000 roubles for partial loss of property and 100,000 roubles for total loss of property,” he said.

“In addition, we propose to pay compensations to Russian regions for conducting rescue operations,” Puchkov said.

The latest disastrous flood in Russia occurred in the Far East in 2013 when due to torrential rains the Amur and Zeya Rivers burst their banks. This was the worst flood for the past 120 years. The total damage reached 527 billion roubles. The federal budget provided 30 billion roubles to restore regions, including energy and housing and public facilities. Totally over 40 billion roubles were allocated to cope with the consequences of the flood.