Russia has entered the spring flood season: rapid snowmelt is causing water levels to rise sharply and inundate towns and villages. The most severe situation has developed in Dagestan, where, according to the publication, seven people have died. Flooding has also affected other areas, from the Volga region to Siberia.
Speaking to Novaya-Europe, a Russian environmental expert who asked to remain anonymous said the causes are both natural and administrative. He explained that when rivers freeze deeply, solid ice followed by sudden warming prevents water from flowing freely, leading to large-scale flooding. Such risks cannot be eliminated completely, although regions do use measures such as blasting river ice to reduce the threat.
The expert said the problem is worsened by insufficient investment in protective infrastructure, including riverbank reinforcement, flood-control structures, and territorial preparedness. He noted that the climate doctrine was first adopted in 2009 and updated in 2023, yet many regions still lack both adequate funding and strong adaptation plans.
He also pointed to poor urban planning: in many places, housing and infrastructure are built along rivers without proper protection. As a result, floods repeatedly damage roads, bridges, power lines, power stations, and homes in southern Russia, the Amur basin, and the Irkutsk region.
In the expert’s view, many strategies remain largely formal: the risks are understood, but fully developed and properly funded projects rarely follow.
He referred to data from Roshydromet and the Emergency Situations Ministry, which show that damage from extreme hydrometeorological events is increasing and that such events have become more frequent, especially since the 1990s. In a 2022 report, the authorities acknowledged that the recurrence of major floods will increase as global warming intensifies.
For now, the expert said, the main priority is protecting people and reducing sanitary risks after damage to sewage and wastewater treatment systems. Insurance coverage for such losses remains limited, especially in poorer regions, so a large share of the damage is borne by households, small businesses, and local budgets.