Forests are still on fire in Dagestan

The forests located near the dwelling settlements of Khelaturi and Alak, Botlikh District, and of Anchikh, Akhvakh District, are captured by fire. Local residents find the efforts of the authorities to liquidate the calamity insufficient.

"The fire burst out a week ago; initially, its outbreaks were small, but then it spread over vast territories - thousands of square meters. The situation is only possible, because nobody is suppressing the fire; neither local nor republic's authorities pay any attention; however, dozens of dwelling settlements are located close to the forests," Murtuz Gasangadjiev, a resident of Botlikh, told today to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

He said that now smoke is blanketing the Botlikh, Akhvakh, Tsemadin and Gumbet Districts with the population of more than 100,000 persons.

Khaibulah Imanmaliev, deputy chief physician for medical work of the Akhvakh District Hospital, said that the current situation forces resident to more frequently address the local medical establishments. "I myself have periodical cough attacks with asthma symptoms; you can imagine what happens with chronic lung patients? Dozens of patients come to us every day complaining of aggravation of their diseases," he said.

Ahmed Chupalaev, a forest warden in the Botlikh District, has noted that certain forces are involved in fire extinguishing, but they are not enough. "There are volunteers, soldiers of the mountain-rifle brigade deployed in Botlikh are helping a lot, but one should understand that such fires are very hard to suppress, since we lack necessary roads, water sources, special aircrafts; moreover, people are fastening, while the heat of the fires is aggravated by air temperature of up to forty degrees Centigrade," he said.

The on duty unit of the local MfE said at first that they know nothing about fires; then, they reported that specialists are busy in the venues; although local residents note that they localize fire centres exclusively by their own.