Dynamics, Cxtent, and Causes of Underflooding of Populated Localities in the Southern Rostov Oblast

Underflooding of different extent was recorded in 133 populated localities in southern Rostov oblast, among which 4 such localities are always partly underflooded, and 77 localities suffer underflooding during spring floods and freshets. Minimal estimates show that the area of the territories underflooded every year and only in wet years is 282 km2 or 19% of the total built-up area in the southern Rostov oblast. Technogenic factors were found to dominate as the causes of underflooding in the majority of the populated localities. However, natural or slightly disturbed subsoil water regime is typical of the built-up territories in the southern Rostov oblast, where it implies annual periodicity of level variations with a peak in spring and a minimum in autumn.