Warm weather after the recent snowfall, the heaviest in the past 100 years, is likely to cause massive floods across Ukraine, Prime Minister Mykola Azarov warned Wednesday, according to Xinhua.
"Soon the snow will be melting and it poses threat of substantial flooding," Azarov told a government meeting.
Azarov urged government agencies to speed up effort to remove snow from cities and towns and adopt measures to prevent possible snow-triggered flooding.
Azarov ordered to establish spill-containment barriers near rivers, lakes and water reservoirs, prepare rescue and emergency equipment, and set up reserves of food, water and medicine in flooding-prone areas.
A record snowfall blanketed parts of Ukraine and Kiev over the weekend, blocking roads and stranding thousands of motorists in their vehicles.
A state of emergency was declared on Saturday in Kiev, Ukraine's capital city, where as over 50 centimeters of snow covered its streets.
