Residents in at least one area of western Kazakhstan hit by flooding are mounting public protests against what they say is an inadequate government response Several hundred residents of Kulsary, a town of about 50,000 in the Atyrau Region, have been gathering outside the local administration building every day since May 15, airing complaints about what they believe is the low level of reconstruction assistance being offered by the government.  The Kulsary protest centers on the issue of reconstruction compensation The government is offering up to 240,000 tenge (about $540) per square meter of lost living space But residents say that figure is too low to rebuild and are seeking roughly double the government offer They also want to receive direct cash payments so that they can rebuild as they see fit “We have all already seen that the walls of the houses that the state is building are covered with cracks, and there were even destructions in some buildings,” local resident Zhaylash Mukanova said in an interview with Radio Azattyk Local officials contend the state’s compensation assessment is based on market values adding that the transfer of funds personally to flood victims does not conform with established disaster relief procedures.  The discontent has not escaped the attention of central government leaders President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has not responded to an appeal by Kulsary residents to personally visit the flood zone around the town But the president did say local officials needed to do a better job of articulating and publicizing reconstruction assistance “The heads of local executive bodies are obliged to actively and effectively work with citizens, clearly explain state policy and measures taken to resolve emerging issues, and [respond to] reasonable demands,” the presidential website quoted Tokayev as saying May 18 during a government meeting According to official figures the government has already paid out more than 11 billion tenge ($25 million) in compensation to affected residents in damages providing funding for home repairs and to replace dead livestock Assistance provided to this year’s flooding victims marks a considerably improved response compared to flooding in 1993 when few among those affected received any government compensation Almaz Kumenov is an Almaty-based journalist Sign up for Eurasianet's free weekly newsletter. Support Eurasianet: Help keep our journalism open to all Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov within his working trip to Atyrau region heard a report on the progress in eliminating the consequences of floods and the pace of recovery work in the city of Kulsary A total of 3652 families in Atyrau region received one-time assistance in the amount of 100 monthly installments for 1.3 billion tenge A total of 2,650 houses were affected by floods in the region 1,193 houses were recognized as subject to major repairs Head of the Government was reported on the progress of construction of 100 residential houses in the new micro-district "Bolashak" in Kulsary The works have been completed by 72%: the foundation of 96 objects under construction has been poured roofing works have been started in 34 houses The houses are planned to be put into operation by the end of September this year In addition to residential buildings in the neighborhood will be built Binom school for 2 thousand seats and kindergarten for 300 seats as well as arranged places for recreation for future residents of new buildings To ensure timely completion of construction of houses on the instructions of the Head of the Government the number of contracting organizations at the sites of Kulsary was increased by 2.5 times In order to control the quality of work performed at the sites which are displayed on the site "Gov.kz" "Liquidation of the consequences of floods and solving the housing issue of all victims is under special control of the Head of State We need to speed up the work and complete it in the shortest possible time We need to work with each contracting organization in a project-oriented manner This is important to ensure the appropriate quality of housing," Olzhas Bektenov emphasized noting that the Akimat also needs to address the issues of engineering communications during construction 4.9 kilometers of 12.1 kilometers of the planned ones have been repaired compensations have been paid to 215 business entities that suffered during the floods 1614 farms have been compensated for the damage to fallen livestock and poultry First Deputy Minister of Education Natalia Zhumadildayeva reported to Head of the Government on the implementation of the instruction to organize summer holidays for children from flood-affected settlements 2,738 schoolchildren are covered by summer holidays Children are sent to educational and recreational centers and camps as well as travel to cultural and historical places of the country within the framework of the project "Tugan Yelge Sayahat" Prime Minister instructed the relevant ministries and Akimat of the region to keep under special control the issues of construction and rehabilitation of social facilities of Healthcare and education such as schools Stay updated about the events of the Prime minister and the Government of Kazakhstan - subscribe to the official Telegram channel The situation with floods in several regions of Kazakhstan remains critical it has already acquired the character of a political crisis; in the city of Kulsary dissatisfied with the amount of compensation offered have continued to speak out On May 20, the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the RK provided operational information on the flood situation work on pumping out the remaining flooded 29 territories continue During the day 153,320 cubic meters were pumped out Due to the stabilization of flood situation in general work in the region also involved rescuers from Almaty In Atyrau region 66,770 cubic meters of water were pumped out from flooded areas whilst around-the-clock monitoring of the water level of the River Zhaiyk and additional bank reinforcement works were undertaken in Atyrau and Makhambet districts “Disinfection work is being carried out in drained houses and territories chemical and biological protection of the Ministry of Emergency Situations in the villages of Teplichnoye Pribrezhnoye of Kyzylzhar district of North Kazakhstan region disinfected 307 houses in the city of Kulsary of Atyrau region and some 165,000 square meters,” officials stated Some 61,348 evacuated people have returned to their homes whilst 5,460 remain in temporary accommodation centers About 22.4 million cubic meters of water from 11,319 private residences and 3,593-yard territories have been drained the water level in the River Zhaiyk remains at a critical level Kazakhstan continues to reduce spending on hospitality events and today the International IT Forum Digital Bridge 2024 which was to be held from September 5-7 in Astana The organizers of Digital Bridge – the Ministry of Digital Development Innovation and Aerospace Industry of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the international technology park Astana Hub – reported that given favorable circumstances residents in the town of Kulsary went to the building of the district Akimat (local authority) to demand compensation in the amount of 400,000 tenge ($905) per square meter of flooded houses eyewitnesses reported that outraged residents were still outside the Akimat having pitched tents and blocked the central street Internet outages were observed in the city Atyrau Oblast Akim Serik Shapkenov arrived in Kulsary where he said that when assessing the damage and determining the amount of compensation “down to the number of doors in the house… Now the average compensation per square meter when recognizing a house unfit for habitation is about 200-240,000 tenge per square meter ($540),” – he stated Following the results of the tour, the head of the region instructed the Akim of the district to strengthen their explanatory work when familiarizing residents with the results of the assessment President Tokayev received Prime Minister Bektenov who reported on progress regarding the floods a meeting wherein it is said that Tokayev himself did most of the talking “Heads of local executive bodies are obliged to actively and effectively work with citizens lucidly explain the state policy and measures taken to address emerging issues and reasonable demands,” Tokayev stated it is extremely difficult to learn about the situation in the region from the official resources of the Akimat whose press releases often pertain to personnel appointments or quotes from the prime minister’s speeches “Akim Shapkenov came to talk to people not immediately… This is what the head of state was talking about having heard the report of the Prime Minister and instructed him to strengthen the work to begin repair and construction of civil infrastructure in cities and towns,”Ashimbayev concluded the Head of the Republican Headquarters for coordination of flood control measures and elimination of consequences of the flood period checked the current situation in Atyrau region the progress of bank protection works was inspected.  Olzhas Bektenov talked to the residents of Kulsary city and answered the questions of the residents to strengthen the measures taken During the overflight inspected the condition of the rivers Zhaiyk and Zhem The emergency regime of natural disaster of local scale remains in Zhylyoi and Kyzylkoginsk districts.  Due to the rise in the level of the river Zhem from the side of the Wil district of Aktobe region the city of Kulsary in Zhylyoi district was flooded three undermining of the delta of the river Zhem as well as undermining of artificial dams located along the river Zhem were carried out This made it possible to redirect the river bed and ensure the unimpeded flow of water increasing the carrying capacity of the flow towards the Caspian Sea and reducing the risks of flood inundation.  residents and volunteers are working to prevent flooding of the residential sector