Prosecutor's Office of Stavropol Territory claims authorities' inaction during high water

A check conducted in the city of Mineralnye Vody has shown that the city infrastructure is not ready to confront the spread of high water, says the Prosecutor's Office of the Stavropol Territory.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on July 15 in Mineralnye Vody the flood water reached houses in outskirt streets. Residents refused to evacuate, fearing to leave their homes. Specialists from rescue and other emergency services came to the place and started pumping out water and clear yards of silt and debris.

The check has revealed that at the time of the flood the storm sewers and drains were clogged and failed to cope with the flow of water running into the city from the Mount Zmeika. The sewer networks were overflowed because of absence of storm drains in the Airport Mineralnye Vody, from where water arrived freely in the city and flooded streets and houses. Local authorities failed to take timely measures to prevent and eliminate the consequences of the disaster, says the website of the Prosecutor's Office of the Stavropol Territory.

The Office adds that the decision to send special pumping vehicles to the flooded area was made late; the population was not warned about a possible disaster; and emergency and rescue operations were badly organized.

On the facts of the failure to take timely measures to prevent and eliminate the floods, the Inter-District Prosecutor of Mineralnye Vody sent presentations to the head of the administration of the Mineralnye Vody municipal district and heads of administrations of Mineralnye Vody and Levokumsk Rural Soviet demanding to eliminate violations of the law and bring those guilty officials to disciplinary responsibility.