Makhachkala: a communal catastrophe

More than 50,000 residents of the capital of Dagestan remain without heat and water for the fifth day already. Electricity is also cut off all the time. The authorities and municipal services are unable to remedy the situation, and residents have started their protest action.

Let us remind you that because of frost and clogging of the water intake lattice with pieces of ice, water supply was reduced to three boiler-houses - at 73 Gadzhieva St., 27 Engelsa St. and 7 Engelsa St. Despite promises of the authorities, no heat was supplied today to houses of thousands of residents of Makhachkala, water is absent in some of them.

According to the "Caucasian Knot", today more than one hundred persons blocked the traffic on the North-Caucasian Railway near Makhachkala for an hour. They demanded to restore heat and electricity supplies to their houses. After negotiations with officials of the UVD (Interior Department) of Makhachkala, the picketers agreed to disperse.

"We have no water and heating for five days already," residents of Nos. 17, 19 and 21 in the Engelsa Street told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. "Many of us have small children; we are unable not only to make laundry, but even cooking. The temperature in apartments dropped to plus 5-6 degrees Centigrade, we have to sleep with all our clothes on."

Schools, hospitals and kindergartens remain without electricity, heat and water.

So far, the official authorities of Makhachkala and Dagestan make no comments on the situation.