A man walks along the bank of the Yellow River to fish, in Pinglu
A man walks along the bank of the Yellow River to fish as the Sammenxia Dam discharges flood waters downstream, in Pinglu, Shanxi province, July 6, 2014. People risk sitting on the bank of the flooded river to catch the surge of fish forced to the river surface by the rushing water and hypoxia environment in deepwater. Picture taken July 6, 2014. REUTERS/China Daily

Canada lawyer Danny Kreklewich threatens to sue the government if his property gets damaged due to diverted floodwaters.

The Manitoba government is apparently planning to release the Assiniboine River as it is currently swelling in overflowing water. Kreklewich's property is outside the flood zone of the river. At the moment, government workers are digging a "safety" hole which will possibly be used in case there is an emergency to release floodwaters. However, the hole is only about 300 metres away from Kreklewich's house. If floodwaters are released in case of an emergency, parts of his residence will go under water. Kreklewich wants to sue the government if his property faces the damage.

Kreklewich blamed it all on Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger. According to Kreklewich, the provincial cabinet should have allotted more money on digging dikes so that the community could be saved. He would not have raised his voice to protect his property, had the government taken necessary steps earlier to protect the community from potential risks, he said.

The swelling Assiniboine poses grave danger for several communities in the adjacent locality. Over 700 local residents have already been forced to leave their houses. There are 55 communities which have been declared to be under threat due to the impending flood. The government, with the help of volunteers and military personnel, has built dikes and barriers to contain overflowing water.

Floodwaters are likely to spread in Portage La Prairie on Wednesday during the early hours in the morning. The good news for Kreklewich is that his family will not be at home when the floodwaters possibly reach his property. Even though the government continues to emphasise that releasing floodwaters will be an extreme measure if there is no other choice, Kreklewich does not quite believe in the claim. He believes that the floodwaters will be released during the early hours on Wednesday.

Contact the writer: s.mukhopadhyay@ibtimes.com.au