Flood in Kazakhstan leaves thousands without fresh water

Almaty: Thousands of people were left without fresh water in Kazakhstan on Monday after a major flood disrupted water supplies, the Emergencies Ministry said.

The Kazakh Emergencies Ministry said in a statement that 10,000 people in the city of Uralsk near the Kazakhstan-Russia border had their water supplies cut off after a flood devastated a local sewage disposal system over the weekend.

Last month more than 12,000 people had to flee their homes in southern Kazakhstan after rain-swollen rivers swept away their houses, killing at least one person.

Spring flooding is a recurring problem across Central Asia but an abrupt rise in temperatures following weeks of severe cold has exacerbated the problem this year.