MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th August, 2021) The scale of natural disasters in some areas of Russia this year is unprecedented, and thorough, systemic work on the climate agenda is urgently needed, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Saturday.
"Of course, we see that the scale and type of natural disasters in some areas [of Russia] is absolutely unprecedented. I must stress this point. For example, in some places in the south [of the country], monthly precipitation fell over a span of a few hours � monthly," Putin said at a government meeting on dealing with the consequences of flooding and wildfires in several regions of Russia.
At the same time, Siberia and the Far East have been recently engulfed in wildfires due to drought and strong winds, the president noted.
"All this once again shows how important it is to thoroughly, systematically, with a clear perspective work on the climate and environmental agenda. But today, of course, we will focus on more urgent tasks," Putin said.
The Russian leader stressed that the Federal and regional authorities must step up their efforts to quickly restore the affected areas and infrastructure, as well as provide the residents with necessary medical, financial and other aid. He also stated that the firefighting services should use their experience to deal with the disasters in an unobtrusive way, preserving the local wildlife and its natural habitat as much as possible.
