The State Duma proposed to allow construction in the flood zone only if there is protection.

A construction permit in the flood zone should be issued to the developer only if there are protective structures that have already been commissioned. This proposal was made on July 15 by the first deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on Construction and Housing Vladimir Koshelev.

"There is a proposal to introduce a fundamentally new norm: to issue a construction permit only if there are already built and commissioned protective structures. The lack of real protection will be a direct and unambiguous reason for refusing permission. This measure is aimed at preventing future tragedies, such as the catastrophic floods in the Orenburg region in 2024 and in Dagestan in the spring of 2026," the politician said in an interview with TASS.

According to Koshelev, the following legal practice is now widespread: developers indicate the planned protective structures in the project documentation, but subsequently do not erect them, while obtaining building permits.

The Deputy Chairman noted that the work is being carried out within the framework of the bill adopted in the first reading. The amendments provide for changes to the Water, Urban Planning and Land Codes to establish a new basis for refusing to issue building permits. The agreed changes should be submitted by August 1, 2026, and by October 1, the government should report on resolving issues related to assigning protective structures to objects of increased responsibility and improving maintenance mechanisms for hydraulic structures.

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On June 23, the Main Directorate of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations in the Orenburg Region reported that 188 residential buildings and 361 household plots were flooded as a result of heavy rains and rising river levels. According to the ministry, 93 people, including 12 children, were evacuated from the flood zone. Residents are staying with relatives and in temporary accommodation facilities. During the day, water left 14 residential buildings in three settlements.