The Moscow regional government plans to flood some 230 square miles of peat bogs to prevent the return of dangerous fires that paralyzed Russia's capital for over two weeks.

The government said that flooding the peat bogs is the best preventative measure so that fires smoldering around Moscow do not return. The Moscow Region suffers from peat bog fires every year, though this year was the most disastrous due to a heat wave that began in mid-June with temperatures between 90 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

The government has set aside 300 million rubles ($9.85 million) to flood the peat bogs and extinguish those areas which are considered most critical.

Regional Governor Boris Gromov has said that alternative measures to flooding the bogs in fire prevention are inadequate.

"According to preliminary estimates, 72 sectors are to be flooded, which equates 64,000 hectares. Of those, 22 sectors are scheduled to be flooded before the end of the year. This is a massive task which is diligent and meticulous," Gromov said.

Gromov said workers have already started flooding five sectors, and some 300 kilometers (186 miles) of water pipelines are being laid to saturate the peat bogs.

On Monday, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin became acquainted with advanced technology of peat bog irrigation which will allow quenching the peat bog fires raging across Central Russia.

MOSCOW, August 19 (RIA Novosti)