Kazakh military units that deployed to help with flood control measures in the past weeks are returning to their barracks as the crisis that hit large parts of the country winds down.
“Due to the stabilization of the situation and the drop in water levels, some of the personnel and military equipment of the armed forces are returning to their permanent deployment points from the West Kazakhstan, North Kazakhstan and Akmola regions,” Ruslan Zhangulin, spokesman for the Defense Ministry, said on Monday.
About 2,200 military personnel and 16 pieces of military equipment were involved in flood control as of Saturday, according to Zhangulin.
The military was involved in evacuations and building barriers to prevent water flows during the flooding, which began in March and forced the evacuation of more than 100,000 people as winter snow melted with the arrival of warmer temperatures. Nearly 40,000 have since returned to their homes.
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev described the floods as Kazakhstan’s worst natural disaster in 80 years.
