Ice drift on the rivers of the Vitebsk region is expected next week

Ice drift on the rivers of the Vitebsk region is expected next week. This was announced today at a briefing by the head of the Vitebsk regional department of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, Vasily Chekan, in response to a question from a BELTA correspondent.

Currently, spring processes in the region are developing calmly. The daily water level increase is from 9 to 15 cm, and ice still remains on the rivers. However, next week, according to forecasters, the daytime air temperature in the region will rise to 14-15 degrees Celsius, and the nighttime temperature will be plus 7-8 degrees. The start of ice drift and significant snowmelt is expected, stated Vasily Chekan, adding that the volume of snow reserves this year exceeds the average annual figures by 40-50%. Large reserves are concentrated in the upper reaches of the Western Dvina and Dnieper rivers, where they reach 60 cm.

In order to prevent ice jams on the rivers, the first explosion in the region was carried out by employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations on April 1 on the Chernetsa River in the Liozno district. "There are also 16 more locations on the Western Dvina, Disna, and Ulla rivers where ice blasting is possible," added the head of the department.