The southern districts of the Irkutsk Region have seen heavy rains for three days, which caused a new wave of floods.

IRKUTSK, July 29. /TASS/ New floods in the Irkutsk Region will not be as strong as a month ago, head of the regional directorate of the Emergencies Ministry Valentin Nelyubov said on Monday.

"Compared with the precipitations on June 27-28, we can’t say that the situation is critical. It won’t be the same already. Now we are observing the increase of the water level. The Meteorological Center’s forecast on the water rise in the Iya River [in the town of Tulun] is up to 10.5 meters," the regional government’s press service quoted Nelyubov as saying.

On Monday, the level of water in the Iya River exceeded the critical mark (700 cm) and reached 804 cm. During the first flood wave the maximal water level in the river was 1,387 cm.

Now 123 yard territories, basements in seven apartment blocks and a boiler room remain inundated in the town of Tulun, that was most affected by the previous flood in late June. Areas in the Shelekhovsky, Slyudyansky, Irkutsky, Ziminsky, Cheremkhovsky, Tulunsky and Nizhneudinsky districts are flooded. According to the forecast of the Irkutsk Directorate for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring, the southern districts of the region will see heavy rains again on July 30.

The first wave of floods hit the Irkutsk Region in late June - early July. The rivers burst their banks after the heavy rains. A total of 10,900 homes in which 42,700 people lived, were inundated in 109 communities. Twenty-five people were killed and seven are missing.