Residents of Chechnya complain of massive water and electricity outages

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Against the backdrop of the heat in Chechen villages and Grozny, hours-long power outages and problems with water supply have become the norm amid the inaction of local authorities.

As reported by «Caucasian Knot» problems with water and energy supply have been noted since the beginning of summer throughout the North Caucasus. In the Volgograd region, residents of the village of Tsaritsyn in the Gorodishchensky district called on the authorities to introduce a state of emergency due to problems with the water supply. And in Stavropol, more than 3,700 local residents signed a petition to local authorities demanding that they modernize water supply networks and ensure an uninterrupted supply of water to populated areas. Residents of Goryachy Klyuch report interruptions in water supply, residents of Goryachy Klyuch, Makhachkala, Kotovo and other settlements throughout the south of Russia.

Residents of Chechnya write in Telegram about problems with water supply and electricity supply. They claim that it is impossible to even turn on a refrigerator or a fan.

“It’s elementary to turn on the refrigerator - there is not enough of it [electricity],” complain residents of the village of Shuani in the Gudermes district. According to them, there is no electricity "in hot and cold periods", stabilizers in houses are useless - the voltage is not enough even for minimal equipment.

According to the Niyso Telegram channel, a large number of feedback requests come from the Gudermes district.

People are faced with constant surges and shutdowns

"People are faced with constant surges and shutdowns. The light flickers, and then disappears altogether. Electrical appliances are damaged, there is nowhere to store food <...> "the elderly and sick suffer from the heat without fans," the Telegram channel said in its posts on July 25.

At the same time, the village administration is allegedly pretending that nothing terrible is happening.

A similar situation is observed in the villages of Shalazha, Berkat-Yurt, Gekhi, Valerik and Kotar-Yurt. According to data as of July 17, residents of these settlements also reported power outages.

The water supply problem also remains acute. In an appeal dated July 16, residents of the village of Petropavlovskaya reported that the village has been living without water for 20 years, despite its proximity to Grozny, which is only 10 kilometers away. "It's 37 degrees outside, and we don't have water, people have to buy water... and in this heat, the power goes out," the complaint says.

The appeal also emphasizes that residents have repeatedly tried to bring the problem to the attention of officials, but "no one listens to them, and no one wants to hear them."

The authors of the appeal call on the authorities to send local television to their village to verify the veracity of their complaints. "If we are lying to you, then tomorrow send your television ChGTRK to our village and see how people live here," says the letter received by NIYSO feedback.

Grozny residents complain about lack of electricity

Residents of the Staropromyslovsky and Leninsky districts of Grozny told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that power outages are becoming the norm in heat above +40°C.

"Power is often turned off in the districts of Grozny. "Yesterday, there was no power in our neighborhood from lunchtime until 9 p.m.," said a resident of the Staropromyslovsky District.

People learn about water supply outages from house chats and from neighbors.

"The local TV channels announce the power and gas outages. But I learn about it from my friends on WhatsApp*," said the resident.

Due to the lack of normal information and interruptions in the supply of resources, people are forced to stock up on water themselves, as in an emergency. "We're just stocking up," concluded a local resident.

A resident of the Leninsky District of Grozny said that problems with storing food are most acute when the power goes out.

Problems in small stores - everything melts if the power goes out for the whole day

"The problem hits small businesses especially hard. Problems in small stores - everything melts if the power goes out for the whole day. Entrepreneurs suffer losses, refrigeration equipment cannot cope without electricity. The situation repeats itself year after year during the hot period, and there is no stable notification or compensation scheme for damage,” she told a “Caucasian Knot” correspondent.

Lawyers recommend complaining to supervisory authorities and Putin’s reception office

Residents who are not supplied with water must file complaints with housing inspectorates, the prosecutor’s office, and the court and record its absence to justify the termination of its payment, the head of the “Housing and Utilities Monitor” organization Ziyavutdin Uvaisov told a “Caucasian Knot” correspondent in a comment.

You can’t not receive water and still pay for it

“You can’t not receive water and still pay for it. You need to file a complaint, record that there is no water and demand a recalculation. From the moment it is recorded that the water is of inadequate quality or is not supplied, you can get a recalculation. From the moment the complaint is filed and recorded, it is considered that there is no water until proven otherwise. If you can prove this with witness testimony, you can recalculate. People don’t want to do this, so they pay,” Uvaisov said.

He noted that “responsibility for water supply lies with municipalities.” “This is guaranteed by the supplier who takes money for water, they must provide water supply, and the prosecutor’s office takes action and holds people accountable. If enough people complain, highlight and talk about these problems on social networks, this can help. There is no point in filing a complaint with the supplier; you need to contact the prosecutor's office or the housing inspectorate and the court. And the best thing is to write to Putin through the official website - it helps a lot," Uvaisov concluded.

* Meta (owner of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp) is banned in Russia.