Residents of a Dagestani village are at risk of flooding due to a dam erosion.

A dam in the village of Akhty washed away after heavy rains, leaving a road, gas pipeline, and homes at risk of flooding. The dam was built four years ago but never commissioned, authorities said, promising to promptly restore the protective structure. Villagers were also left without water.

A dam washed away near the Dagestani village of Akhty

Coastal lands, private homes, and a republican highway may be in the flood zone, the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia for Dagestan reported on its Telegram channel.

"Due to heavy rains on May 29-30, 2026, a 100-meter-long gabion dam at the entrance to the village of Akhty washed away and toppled. Another 100 meters of the dam are at risk of collapse. If the situation worsens, coastal lands, fields, private homes, a gas pipeline, power lines, and the national highway could be in the flood zone," the agency's statement noted.

The dam is listed as an unfinished construction project, according to the administration of the head of Dagestan. "The structure was built at the request of the Akhtynsky District in 2020-2022, but to date it has not been accepted onto the municipal balance sheet and is listed as an unfinished construction project according to the administration's Telegram channel.

Authorities promised to promptly restore the dam

The contractor that carried out the construction of the dam on the Samur River, Spetsremstroimontazh LLC, has been instructed to promptly begin restoring the damaged section within the framework of its warranty obligations.

About 70 meters (total length - 2,100 meters) of the coastal protection structure were damaged due to heavy floods and increased water flow in the riverbed, the administration of the head of Dagestan stated.

Villages were left without water supply

The Akhtynsky District Administration reported The water supply has also been shut off. "Due to recent thunderstorms and heavy rains, a water intake at the Leke-Dere headworks has been washed out. Cleanup and restoration work will begin immediately after the floods subside. Water supply will be temporarily suspended during repairs. The estimated outage period is 2-3 days," the statement reads.

According to the Caucasian Knot weather service, light rain is expected in Akhty on the night of May 31st, with a temperature of 7 degrees Celsius. The rain will cease during the day of May 31st. On the night of June 10th, wind speed will decrease to two meters per second, light rain is expected, and the temperature will drop to 10 degrees Celsius. The weather service is a partnership between the Caucasian Knot and Gismeteo. The service allows you to correct meteorological data for a more accurate forecast. The service is also available in a light version and in the Caucasian Knot apps for Android and AndroidGO.

As "Caucasian Knot" wrote, floods caused by torrential rains began in the North Caucasus at the end of March and became some of the most destructive in recent years. Dagestan and Chechnya suffered the most from the disaster, according to the "Caucasian Knot" report "Spring Flooding in the North Caucasus - 2026".

Residents of Chechnya have submitted more than 29,000 claims for compensation due to flood damage. According to them, in Chechnya, compensation documents are collected without unnecessary formalities; photographs of damaged houses are often sufficient. Meanwhile, residents of Dagestan affected by the flood have repeatedly complained about denials of payments. For example, in the Turali microdistrict of Makhachkala, flooding damaged floors and household appliances, and residents were denied payments, local residents complained.

The Caucasian Knot has compiled materials about flooding in the republics of the North Caucasus Federal District in the spring of 2026 on the thematic page "Flooding in the North Caucasus".