Power engineering facilities in Khabarovsk won't suffer from flooding - Putin envoy
KHABAROVSK. Aug 28 (Interfax) - Russian presidential envoy to the Far Eastern Federal District Viktor Ishayev has inspected the readiness of energy facilities in Khabarovsk for operations in conditions of river flooding, the envoy's press service reported on Wednesday.
Ishayev visited two heating power plants in Khabarovsk. At one of them he examined the temporary dam protecting the station standing on the bank of the Amur River. He refuted the rumors that the facility is flooded.
"It is not flooded but even if it is surrounded with water, nothing bad will happen because it functions as a heat generating facility only during the heating season which will begin here on October 5. It takes two days to launch it into operation. I went down to see the lowest parts of the station - everything is in working order," the press service quotes Ishayev as saying.
He said that water does not threaten the other heating power plant either. "The station itself will not be affected by the flooding We are speaking of water intake and sewage. There is a solution to it - to direct excessive water to the ash disposal area. The facility is in working order and at the time of the heating season all of its 16 boilers will be operational," he said.
Ishayev said there may be problems with the heat pipes. "Power engineering is fully prepared. The preparedness of heating lines for the winter is the issue today," he said.
He added that Amurkabel and the Khabarovsk Shipbuilding Plant standing on river banks are reliably protected against flooding.
"It is another matter that problems will definitely arise with coal extraction as pits will be flooded. The gold mining industry may be affected. The timber industry will not suffer because a sufficient amount of timber has been cut," the envoy said.
In his opinion, the greatest damage has been caused to farming. Some 580,000 hectares of farmlands have been flooded and 50,000 hectares more may be covered with water in the nearest future.
"Amur region will be badly hit. Cattle-breeding is trapped in a situation when fodder is absent altogether. There clearly will be a reduction of the livestock population," Ishayev said.
He spoke of enormous damage caused to the population.
"It is clear already now that over 3,000 houses will have to be rebuilt. And decisions must be made today to move several towns that are constantly flooded. This applies to communities in Yakutia, Amur region and the Jewish autonomous region," he added.
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