Ingush authorities see the Sunzha landfill situation as a threat to their reputation.

The slowness of Sunzha authorities following complaints from residents about an illegal dump has drawn attention to the problem at the federal level and created an "uncontrollable reputational risk," the head of the Regional Control Center complained to the Ingush government. The discussion of this issue occurred against the backdrop of a statement by an Interior Ministry general that unresolved housing and utilities issues are provoking an increase in protest activity.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," on January 23, Khalid Bekov, deputy head of Sunzha, announced that the dump on Engels Street would be eliminated within a few days. He explained that the work "was hampered the previous week due to adverse weather conditions." The Regional Control Center (RCC) of Ingushetia indicated that "the problem is not considered closed until it is completely and effectively eliminated."

This has led to increased attention to the problem at the district and federal levels.

Bers Bankhaev, head of the Center for Sustainable Development in Ingushetia, reported at a government meeting on the failure to meet the deadline for eliminating the illegal landfill in Sunzha, the Center for Sustainable Development reported today on its Telegram channel. "Bers Bankhaev emphasized that it was the failure to meet the deadline for starting work on eliminating the illegal landfill in the city of Sunzha that led to increased attention to the problem at the district and federal levels," the publication stated.

The Center for Sustainable Development blamed the local administration for failing to process residents' requests in a timely manner. "The delay in organizing the work not only led to a deterioration in the sanitary situation but also to a decline in resident confidence. The Sunzha city administration began work significantly late, only after repeated reminders and increased oversight. The landfill has now been eliminated by Ecolife LLC with the support of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of the Republic of Ingushetia," the publication states.

They are turning a local problem into an uncontrollable reputational risk

Bankhayev emphasized at the meeting that such actions create an "uncontrollable reputational risk." "They're turning a local problem—essentially a local, small problem—into an uncontrollable reputational risk," he was quoted as saying in a video clip accompanying the publication.

At the same meeting, Sunzha Deputy Head Bagaudin Sainaroyev, responding to a question from a government member, assured that the dump was "eliminated on Saturday [January 24]." "The Ministry of Natural Resources provided us with assistance in this matter," the city official said in the video clip.

It's worth noting that the Ingush authorities' involvement in resolving the illegal dumping issue for more than two weeks follows a statement from Sergei Bachurin, head of the North Caucasus Federal District Ministry of Internal Affairs. On January 19, he stated that unresolved housing and utilities issues in Dagestan are a factor in the growth of protest activity.

In Ingushetia, residents of other settlements have also repeatedly complained about the problem of illegal dumps and the government's lack of response to fires at waste disposal sites. Specifically, on August 17, 2022, residents of Malgobek reported that they had been contacting officials for a month about a landfill fire, but their requests to extinguish the blaze remained unanswered.

As part of the national project "Ecology," landfills in Nazran, Sunzha, Malgobek, and Karabulak were supposed to be liquidated by the end of 2020. Construction of three solid waste landfills in Karabulak, Malgobeksky, and Sunzhensky districts began in October 2015 after more than 120 illegal waste collection points were identified in Ingushetia. In 2019, the landfill in Malgobek was included in the register of accumulated environmental damage sites.