Heavy rains occurred in Turkmenistan, as a result of which some areas were seriously flooded. According to the Meteozhurnal publication, from the morning until 8 pm on May 9, 28 millimeters of precipitation fell in Ashgabat, while heavy rain is considered to be more than 15 millimeters in 12 hours.
It is reported that heavy rains have created serious challenges for local residents, as some settlements were left without electricity and severe damage was caused to agriculture.
In Choganly (northern part of the capital), hail also fell along with the rain. The size of the ice particles reached 4-5 centimeters, resulting in damage to the windows and car bodies. All this fell on the shoulders of car owners.
In the city of Bayramaly, Mary velayat, 6 monthly norms of precipitation fell in May (almost 40% of the annual norm). The city infrastructure there has been damaged, and the basements of high-rise buildings are flooded with water. To eliminate the consequences, local residents call the House Administration, but they are in no hurry to help people, since they are pumping water around the clock throughout the city, so there are not enough pumps for everyone.
In the city of Mary, traffic lights did not work on the roads on rainy days, which caused large traffic jams. In addition, the quality of mobile communications noticeably deteriorated during those four days, which created obstacles in calling people with relatives.
The situation is especially difficult in rural areas. There, unpaved sections of the road turned into impassable swamps. The situation forced schools in the region to even cancel classes for children, and people did not leave their homes unless absolutely necessary.
According to the stories of a resident of the Yolöten etrap, the cotton plants in the fields, which had just sprouted, were also damaged. Water flooded the sprouted wheat fields. On leased lands, water is still on the surface, and vegetable crops on private plots also remain under water.
All families involved in agriculture are fighting the elements. They are trying to pump out water from their plots on their own.
Meanwhile, the government of Turkmenistan has traditionally taken the position of not commenting on anything and is silent about the consequences of the disaster. Perhaps it would be easier with a relevant department, but such a thing has not been created in Turkmenistan. There, only the fire service, subordinate to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the Main Directorate of Civil Defense and Rescue Work of the Ministry of Defense are responsible for eliminating emergency situations. But as practice shows, in the event of even minor incidents, these authorities are not able to properly and promptly cope with the emergency.
Let us remind you that, according to Radio Azatlyk, heavy rains in recent days have caused devastating floods in the northern regions of neighboring Afghanistan, with numerous casualties reported there. The Taliban-led Afghan government announced that the May 12 floods in Baghlan province injured at least 1,630 people and destroyed more than 2,660 homes. The provinces of Badakhshan, Takhar, Ghor and Faryab were also affected by the disaster.
