Rising water levels in the Sochi river have alarmed social media users.

The water level in the Kherota River has risen due to heavy rain, with flooding and landslides possible, authorities reported. Social media users believe the sudden rise is due to improper construction.

This afternoon, sirens and emergency voice alerts were activated in Sochi due to the rising water level of the Kherota River, according to Andrei Proshunin, head of the municipality.

"The river has not overflowed its banks. Rescuers and emergency services are on site, and continuous monitoring is underway. Heavy rain continues in Sochi," he reported.

Rescuers have begun patrolling the area of ​​potential flooding in the Adler District. They are using loudspeakers to notify residents of safety measures and the safety of their property. People are warned to move their vehicles to higher ground, the Krasnodar Krai task force reported.

Later today, the mayor reported that water had partially entered the parking lot near building No. 16A on Petrozavodskaya Street. Near apartment building No. 26/5, there is a risk of further landslide intensification; equipment is stationed there in case of ground movement, he said, noting that the rain's intensity is decreasing.

Users of the "Krasnodar Teletype" Telegram channel, which has over 136,000 subscribers, attributed the rising waters to government oversights.

"If the riverbed were regularly cleared, there wouldn't be a rise," writes Natalia.

"Due to poor construction practices, rains and mudslides will soon wash half of Sochi into the sea," commented A.I.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot," residents of a high-rise building in Sochi's Bytkha neighborhood expressed concerns for their safety after a landslide occurred near their home. Telegram users found the residents' concerns justified, and a government spokesman stated that there was no threat to the building.

In October 2020, construction began on 23 high-rise buildings on the slope of Mount Bytkha. Residents of the Bytkha microdistrict held a meeting to protest construction on the landslide slope, arguing that it threatens lives. They wrote a petition to Putin asking him to declare a moratorium on development on the slopes of Bytkha. In February 2021, a landslide occurred on the slope of Mount Bytkha. Scientists and activists supported the local residents' assertion that the landslide was caused by development on the slope. Appeals to officials demanding that construction be halted remain unanswered, complained Sochi residents, who fear that another landslide will damage their homes.