Amur river level stops at 720 cm in Khabarovsk

The Amur did not rise on Saturday, for the first time in a month. When reaching 720 cm, the river stopped going up, the press service of the Emergencies Ministry's regional department told Itar-Tass. The level was measured at 05:00 Moscow time. In the past few days, the water rose faster than rescuers and volunteers could make dikes. Meanwhile, the regional hydro-meteorological centre warns that the respite may be brief. The water does not go down. On the contrary, according to the latest forecast, it may resume rising five-ten cm a day in the city to reach 780 cm by August 28. New heavy rains are expected next week in the areas of the Amur tributaries Sungari and Ussuri, and the precipitation may cause more overflowing of the rivers. Meteorologists do not rule out the Amur may go up above the level of eight metres. The peak is expected by September 2-3. Specialists warn the high water will remain in the Amur areas for a long time. Authorities in Khabarovsk said they would take actions proceeding from the worst forecast. Work has already started to make the dikes as high as nine metres.