Repair works are underway following the failure on 1 May of the dam at the Sardoba Reservoir in Uzbekistan, which resulted in the evacuation of over 70,000 people in the country and neighbouring Kazakistan.
There was significant flooding along the Syr Darya River after the dam wall collapse. No fatalities have been reported.
The President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev visited the area soon after the incident occurred, and restoration work began immediately.
In a statement on its website, the Uzbek government said that currently two brigades have been formed at the site of the flood and intensive work is underway on the left and right banks of the burst dam.
Hundreds of qualified specialists and more than a thousand units of special equipment are involved in this process. Large boulders, concrete blocks and slabs, as well as other building materials, are being delivered. A semi-circular barrier wall is being erected in front of the dam.
The dam was completed in 2017, and is used for irrigation for the Syrdarya and Jizzakh regions’ six districts. An investigation is currently underway into what caused the incident.
President Shavkat Mirziyoyev arrived in the Sardoba district on 1 May.
