Reinforcement of the banks of the Sulak has begun after villagers appealed to Shchukin and Ramazanov.
The banks of the Sulak River in the villages of Sultanian-Gyurt, Nechaevka, Lower Chiryuurt, and Manapkala have been eroded due to the discharge of water from the reservoir, acknowledged the administration of the Kizilyurt district. Construction materials have been delivered to the villages to protect the most vulnerable areas, but the high water level hinders the start of full-scale work.
As reported by "Caucasian Knot", residents of the village of Sultanian-Gyurt in the Kizilyurt district appealed to the leadership of Dagestan with a request to strengthen the banks of the Sulak River. According to the villagers, the river is literally "eating away" land and has approached the village by 100 meters. They noted that they are ready to reinforce the banks themselves, but officials threatened them with criminal prosecution.
In 2022, there were reports of the danger of flooding residential houses due to the silting of the middle of the Sulak River bed and the erosion of the banks. The villages of Nechaevka, Kirovaul, and Sultanian-Gyurt are in the flood zone. The bank protection structures built back in 1996 are constantly being eroded, which poses a high risk of flooding houses, agricultural lands, and infrastructure facilities.
The authorities have prohibited the residents of Sultanian-Gyurt from independently reinforcing the banks of the river and building barriers, stating that such work should only be carried out by professional specialists, a villager Arsen told a correspondent of "Caucasian Knot".
According to the man, materials necessary for the work have already been delivered to the village. "They brought slabs, bags of sand. For now, active work is not being carried out; they said they are waiting for the water to recede," he said.
Another resident of Sultanian-Gyurt Magomed noted that the water approached the village within a week. "We contacted the district administration, the Ministry of Natural Resources, and they said that the situation is under control and there is no cause for concern. But we are afraid that, like in Mamedkala, water will suddenly flood the village, and it will be too late to evacuate," the man explained.
In Nechaevka, cliffs have formed on the bank as the water has washed away trees located along the river, a resident of the village Saida told a correspondent of "Caucasian Knot". "We are afraid that the water will go further into the village. They brought us bags of sand, and residents are helping workers carry out bank reinforcement work," he reported.
The level of the Sulak River has critically risen due to the discharge of water from the Chirkey Reservoir; a state of increased readiness is in effect in the area of the villages of Sultanian-Gyurt, Nechaevka, and Manapkala, the administration of the Kizilyurt district informed "Caucasian Knot".
Officials acknowledged on July 20 that the erosion of the shoreline and agricultural lands continues. They assessed the area of damaged agricultural lands at about 120 hectares, stating that the houses of residents in none of the villages are threatened by water. On July 21, the administration reported on its Telegram channel that reinforced concrete slabs are being delivered to Sultanian-Gyurt to strengthen the most vulnerable areas of the bank.
A commission from the administration inspected the riverbed of the Sulak River in the territory of the villages of Lower Chiryuurt, Sultanian-Gyurt, Nechaevka, and Manapkala on July 22. Officials confirmed that in each village there are erosions of the shoreline "ranging from 500 to 700 meters in length, and from 10 to 70 meters in depth," but it is currently impossible to carry out bank reinforcement and dredging work due to the high water level and strong current. The head of the district's emergency management department Magomed Murtazaliev noted that there is no threat to residents, but there is a risk of damage to agricultural lands.
"With the efforts of local residents, supported by the leadership of the Kizilyurt district administration and entrepreneurs, the protection of the coastal zone is being carried out. Specialized equipment is involved on-site: excavators, tracked vehicles, KamAZ dump trucks - they help to quickly reinforce vulnerable areas and minimize possible damage," the municipality's message states.
The situation in Sultanian-Gyurt requires urgent intervention, noted "Chernovik" earlier, commenting on the villagers' appeal. "According to all maps, it is clear that this area was the riverbed. Naturally, when the water increased, the river went back along the same path. Who and why allocated land to large families and participants of the SVO in potentially dangerous and unsuitable areas?" the publication wonders.
The list of authorities' powers in the event of a flood threat is enshrined in Federal Law No. 68-FZ "On the Protection of the Population and Territories from Emergency Situations," a lawyer Ali Aliyev told a correspondent of "Caucasian Knot".
The primary task of officials is the timely evacuation of the population from the danger zone, and to prevent and eliminate the consequences of flooding, local authorities must build dams, water protection embankments, and carry out riverbed cleaning work, the lawyer explained.
He added that the State Duma approved in the third reading a bill on engineering protection of territories and facilities from the negative impact of water during a plenary session on July 21.
"The goal of this initiative is to protect residents from floods and inundations. Most importantly, the law introduces a direct ban on the construction of capital facilities in flood and inundation zones, which will prevent the emergence of new residential buildings in dangerous areas," the lawyer reported.
As reported by "Caucasian Knot", about 1.5 million residents found themselves in the zone of destructive floods in Dagestan in the spring. As a result of the flooding, six residents of the republic died, including three minors. The village of Mamedkala, where nearly 260 residential houses with household plots were flooded due to a dam breach, became one of the most affected settlements in Dagestan, and hundreds of volunteers arrived to help local residents. It was mainly from volunteers that the affected residents received assistance, villagers reported.
Materials on flooding in the republics of the North Caucasus in the spring of 2026 were collected by "Caucasian Knot" on the thematic page "Flooding in the North Caucasus".