The flood situation in Russia’s southern Orenburg region near the Kazakh border remains tense, as the water level in the Ural river continues to rise. In the city of Orenburg, the river level stood at 9.78 metres on Wednesday morning – around half a metre above what is seen as a critical threshold, according to the city administration. Several neighbourhoods in the city are flooded. Experts estimate the river will swell by a further 30 to 70 centimetres, according to Russian state news agency TASS. According to an overview published by the authorities on Wednesday, 12,800 houses and 14,900 gar…