Residents of a village near Volgograd called an accident at a pumping station a disaster.

Homes in the village of Zaplavnoye in the Leninsky District of the Volgograd Region have been without heat and water for four days. Villagers have called on authorities to involve the Ministry of Emergency Situations and the military in resolving the problem.

Water and heat supplies to Zaplavnoye have been interrupted since January 23: both pumps at the pumping station that pumps water from the Akhtuba River into the village's central water supply system burned out. Local residents note that the breakdown occurred amid severe frosts, with temperatures ranging from -15 to -25 degrees Celsius at various times of the day.

The village of Zaplavnoye in the Leninsky District of the Volgograd Region is located on the left bank of the Akhtuba River, with part of the village (the "8 Marta" microdistrict) also located on the right bank in the floodplain. Several gardening non-profit partnerships (SNTs) previously owned by businesses in the city of Volzhsky are located in the vicinity of the village. Zaplavnoye is one of the largest and oldest settlements in the Volgograd region, home to approximately 4,000 people. About half of the working-age population is employed in agriculture and livestock farming, with some residents working in Volzhsky and the regional centers of Srednyaya Akhtuba and Leninsk. A significant number of the village's elderly residents are pensioners.

The village was founded by Russian colonists in 1774, after which it was populated by settlers from Novorossiya and runaway serfs. Before the Revolution, the village was a merchant and industrial center. Zaplavnoye still retains its ancient buildings (mostly merchant houses), which are not protected by the state but "possess the characteristics of architectural monuments." During the Battle of Stalingrad, in the rear of the Soviet Army, the 662nd Sevastopol Attack Aviation Regiment of the 8th Air Army and 12 hospitals were based in the Zaplavnoye area. 874 defenders of Stalingrad who died from their wounds are buried in a mass grave; the monument is under state protection. Zaplavnoye is also a local Orthodox center, home to the St. Nicholas Parish, Volgograd historian Andrei Kudinov told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

The Kudinov family rents a dacha in one of the gardening communities near Zaplavnoye. "Zaplavnoye is an ancient village; there are many stories to tell about it. The village's location is one of the most picturesque in our region; the people there are decent. What is happening there now is unacceptable from a humanitarian standpoint; it's a real municipal disaster," the historian stated.

He explained that most of the village receives its water from a centralized system, thanks to the pumping station where the accident occurred. "Few people have their own wells, and the water quality in the wells is technical, not potable. Without water, there's no central heating; gas water heaters shut off automatically, making it impossible to water the livestock. I was there on Sunday, January 25th, and old people were melting snow to water their livestock. Many people go to Akhtuba to use the ice hole, but how many frail pensioners can haul water like that?" Kudinov was indignant.

Water in stores has tripled in price

Village residents helped the emergency crew "as best they could" – they carried firewood, gas cylinders, and a barrel to warm the workers and frozen equipment, Zaplavnoye resident Elena told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. According to her, the kindergarten, school, and two-story apartment buildings suffered the most from the lack of heat. The village head asked the villagers to lend them heaters during the repairs, but so far no one has responded.

We spent the whole day hauling water from the ice hole—first our mothers hauled some, then ourselves.

“Nothing’s working out with the pumps: they say they burned out, and for some reason there’s no backup pump. And the workers are throwing up their hands: we’re not gods, they say. Today (January 26th) we spent the whole day hauling water from the ice hole—first our mothers hauled some, then ourselves. How much water do you carry by hand? The water truck is parked at the Elena store; the water in it is rusty; we don’t feed that kind to our livestock. Our gas boiler shut off due to lack of water. Now all the heat comes from two electric heaters. How much will we have to pay for electricity?” the woman exclaimed indignantly.

She fears the strain on the power grid could lead to a power outage. "Then we'll all freeze here for sure," Elena predicted.

A five-liter bottle of drinking water at the store has tripled in price since the disaster: it used to cost 50 rubles and is now selling for 150 rubles, her neighbor Svetlana told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

"Someone's disaster, others' profit. We didn't even call the water utility; the work crews explained everything to us anyway—they said there's no water for now. Two pumps burned out. The workers are heroes, working day and night, and there are no complaints. Questions for the local authorities: how did they prepare for winter, that a disaster happened, why don't they have a backup pump?" "Svetlana complained.

The woman said that the villagers waited for water to be delivered to the Elena store for over an hour, but the water quality was poor: "brown, undrinkable." She also reported that local residents are helping the emergency crew workers as much as they can—specifically, bringing a barrel and firewood to keep the workers warm.

Semyon Polyansky lives with his family in Volzhsky. Over the weekend, he took his niece and two children to his home, as the small children needed bathing and laundry. "We took them because the workers (emergency crews) told us there would be no water all week. And what would she do here with two small children? All her relatives are sitting without water, no one will help. So they came and picked them up. On Sunday evening, they brought them back—it was cold in their apartment, 14 degrees Celsius. It's good they have a stove. "But people live here who only have central heating," Semyon said.

The man stated that the district and village authorities are failing to address the problem. According to Semyon, "the Ministry of Emergency Situations and the military need to be called in." Polyansky also voiced the villagers' demands to the village administration. "The head of Zaplavny is obliged to organize scheduled water delivery to all streets in Zaplavny, not just to the store. Not every old person can get there from distant streets," he stated.

The Leninsky District Administration declined a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent's request for comment on the situation, referring them to the governor's office for an information request. At the same time, an unidentified district administration employee noted that the district administration had brought in "additional resources from the Leninsky Vodokanal" for repairs at the Zaplavny pumping station. There is no information about repair work in Zaplavny on the district administration website, and no orders from the district head have yet been published regarding this matter. A "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was unable to reach the utility company's dispatch service.

A lawyer suggested villagers complain to regulatory authorities.

The situation in the village of Zaplavny has resulted in a violation of citizens' constitutional rights to adequate housing and a safe and healthy living environment, noted lawyer Sergey Ivaschenko. He noted that providing water services to the population, especially in winter and freezing temperatures, is the direct responsibility of village and district authorities. Sergei Ivaschenko cited the Federal Law "On Water Supply and Sanitation" (No. 416-FZ), according to which all issues related to resolving the problem "lie on the shoulders of local executive authorities."

"The district administration must draw up an action plan to address the issue of timely and high-quality drinking water supply to residents' homes (Article 21 of the law). They have only provided a one-time water delivery, but this is clearly insufficient. Water supply to residents' homes must be restored to the previous standard volume and promptly," the lawyer explained.

Sergei Ivaschenko recommended that consumers file complaints with Rospotrebnadzor and the prosecutor's office. He also stated that if water and heat supply to Zaplavnoye is interrupted for an extended period due to severe frosts, local authorities should petition the regional government to declare a state of emergency in the village. Ivaschenko cited the provisions of Federal Law No. 68-FZ "On the Protection of Populations and Territories from Natural and Man-Made Emergencies."

He cited Article 1 of the law, which defines the term: An emergency is a situation in a specific area that has developed as a result of an accident, a hazardous natural phenomenon, a catastrophe... posing a danger to others, a natural or other disaster that may result or has resulted in human casualties, damage to human health or the environment, significant material losses, and disruption of living conditions.