Dozens of residents of the town of Qulsary in Kazakhstan's western region of Atyrau have demanded immediate and higher compensation to allow them to rebuild their lives after devastating floods caused by abrupt warm weather in late March that led to massive snowmelt.
Protesters gathered in front of the town's administrative building told RFE/RL on May 16 that they spent the previous night at the site, adding that the number of the protesters during the night was much higher.
The protesters have set up three tents at the site and say they plan to stay there until their demands are met by local administrators.
Police officers have monitored the protest, which has remained peaceful.
The protesters are demanding the government calculate compensation at 400,000 tenges ($903) per square meter, while the officials say the calculations will be made by 200,000-240,000 tenges per square meter.
No End In Sight As Flooding Continues Unabated In Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Russia
Officials also said earlier that only those whose houses were damaged, but not fully destroyed, will receive cash for repair works, while those whose houses were fully destroyed will receive newly built homes.
Funds for the program will go directly to construction companies, a system the protesters rejected saying they want all financial compensation to be given directly to them.
"We demand cash. If they give us money, we will decide ourselves if we want to build new houses at sites we choose or buy new houses," one of the protesters told RFE/RL.
About 3,000 private homes were either damaged or destroyed by the floods. Officials condemned some 570 houses affected by the floods, saying they are beyond repair.
In recent weeks, several regions in Kazakhstan’s north and adjacent Russian regions have faced devastating floods caused by abrupt warm weather that led to a massive snowmelt.
Qulsary, with some 66,000 residents, was the worst-hit area in Kazakhstan.