Bodaibo Officials Explain Why City Still Freezes

The Bodaibo city administration responded to complaints from local residents that part of the city has been freezing for a week in -40°C (-40°F) weather. Residents write in the governor«s chat that people’s strength is running out, as homes have no heating, water, or sewerage.

In response, the administration assures that the anger, despair, and fatigue of residents are understandable, but eliminating the consequences of the accident is not a one-day job.

“A week in such conditions is unbearable. Frost at -40°C (-40°F), lack of the most essential things — heat and water — is a situation that no one should have to endure. Let’s be blunt: yes, this is an emergency of the highest level of complexity, and normal timelines do not apply here,” the administration employees respond.

But there are still no exact deadlines for when the situation will fully normalize.

“We cannot name the exact hour and day for starting the entire system — that would depend on what we find on the next meter of the thawed pipeline. But we can tell you what is happening right now, why it is taking long, and how we are speeding up the process,” they added from the administration.

Administration representatives emphasize that currently, around the clock, it is not “one man with a wrench” working at the boiler houses, but several teams of heat power engineers.

“Every meter of the heating mains is not just a pipe; it is three meters of frozen ground depth. It is not simply being «repaired» but dozens of rupture points are being found and isolated. The system cannot be started into an empty pipe. Currently, heating and inspection of already connected homes is underway for hidden damage. Otherwise, when pressure is applied, we will get new accidents inside buildings,” the statement says.

According to the administration, the process of liquidating the accident’s aftermath has dragged on for objective reasons.

“Why is it taking so long? Because we are fighting not one breakdown but a chain reaction caused by record frosts. And our main task is not just to «turn it on» but to start the system stably and safely, so that we don’t have to start all over again in a day. Your safety is more important to us than speed,” the publication says.