In the Khromtau district of Aktobe region, the trial in the case of a dam break «Magajan», which occurred in April 2024, has ended. According to the press service of the prosecutor’s office of the Aktobe region, the state prosecution, supported by the district prosecutor’s office, insisted on the guilt of the head of the management company responsible for the operation of the hydraulic structure.
The court found the defendant guilty under Article 254 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan «Dishonest attitude to duties». He was sentenced to two years and six months of restriction of freedom. In addition, the person sentenced to three years is prohibited from holding positions and conducting activities related to water management. The prosecutor’s office reports that, according to the case materials, the director of the LLP that manages the dam, for selfish reasons, did not take the necessary measures to release water in a timely manner. This inaction led to the destruction of the dam on April 4 of this year. The consequences of the breakthrough turned out to be very serious: the settlements of Tabantal, Kyzyltu and Beskospa were flooded. Residents of these villages lost their property and significant damage was caused to the region’s infrastructure.
Let us note that the verdict has not yet entered into legal force, which means that the parties have the opportunity to appeal it.
It is worth recalling that the flood situation in the Aktobe region in April 2024 was under close government attention. Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Olzhas Bektenov personally inspected the affected areas and, in particular, inspected the Magadzhan dam, where the breakthrough occurred. At that time, the volume of the reservoir was 15.8 million cubic meters. The reservoir itself, which was put into operation back in 1985, is managed by the private company Tulpar LLP. As a result of the dam failure, the evacuation of residents was required: 25 people were evacuated from the village of Kyzyltu, another 11– from the Tabantal wintering site. In the region as a whole, a local natural emergency was declared in five districts and the city of Aktobe, and almost 9 thousand people were evacuated.
The spring floods of 2024 were a major challenge for Kazakhstan. Large-scale flooding affected ten regions of the country where a local emergency was introduced. These include Abay, Akmola, Aktobe, Atyrau, West Kazakhstan, Karaganda, Kostanay, Pavlodar, North Kazakhstan and Ulytau regions.
