Years without heating near Omsk leave children 'like icicles'
A resident of Novoomsky village in Omsk District contacted the editorial office of NGS55.RU. She reported that in the apartment building where she lives, at 1 Nikolaeva Street, heating problems have persisted since 2020. According to her, to keep the house warm, residents must use heaters, resulting in enormous utility bills.
«I have a three-room apartment. I heat two rooms with heaters. Because of this, my utility bill is very high. For December, it came to 3,700 rubles (about $40 at current rates). We heat the kitchen with a gas stove, using the burners. Yesterday, Sunday, we needed to get the children ready for school and kindergarten, bathe them, do laundry. It»s simply impossible because the children are sitting like icicles. They«re freezing. We can»t even wash properly; we struggle with basic life needs,« the local resident said.
The apartment building has three entrances with nine apartments each (27 in total), and all residents have to use electrical appliances. They tried to resolve the heating issue with the local administration, but there, as the woman noted, they assured that the problem lies in the basement—the heating system needs to be replaced. The management company still has not responded, the woman says.
«As they say, the management company is responsible. But they don»t do anything. Essentially, everything in the basement needs to be replaced, but no one wants to. Last year, the residents themselves proposed pooling money for new pipes. The management company could help financially, but they didn«t agree.»
It was not possible to obtain an immediate comment from the district administration. NGS55.RU has sent an official inquiry and is awaiting a response.
