Governor Kobzev Calls Bodaibo Heating Crisis Critical, Sends Deputy
Emergency crews in Bodaibo are working to restore heating after a pipeline froze in extreme cold.
Igor Kobzev, the governor of Irkutsk Oblast, called the situation in Bodaibo «critical,» where heating and hot water problems have been observed for two days. He wrote about this in his Telegram channel on January 30.
As of Friday evening, four boiler houses have stopped operating in the city — MK-135, LZDT, MO-44, and BMK. 141 houses, home to 1,321 people, as well as secondary school No. 3 and a special correctional school, are without water supply and heating.
According to Igor Krizhkiy, the first deputy mayor of the Bodaibo district, three families planned to move to temporary accommodation centers by the end of the working day on January 30, but later they abandoned the idea.
Kobzev sent his first deputy Roman Kolesov and Minister of Housing Policy and Energy Anatoliy Nikitin to Bodaibo.
«I have instructed the Ministry of Social Development, Guardianship, and Trusteeship to take control of the situation with residents from socially vulnerable categories. The municipal administration must also actively interact with residents both in person and through social networks. People should feel the support of the authorities and know where to turn for help, and most importantly — receive this help promptly and in full,» the governor wrote in his Telegram channel.
As Oleg Gorin, the first deputy head of the city, told the IrCity editorial board, heating outages have been observed in the city for the second day. This is due to severe frosts: at night the temperature stays at around –50°C (–58°F), causing the water pipeline to freeze.
According to the city authorities, about 100–120 houses, including in the private sector, are without water and heating. Social service buildings have not been affected by the shutdown.
A state of high alert has been introduced in Bodaibo. Not only the municipal «Teplovodokanal» but also employees of fire station No. 37 of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations (EMERCOM) in the Bodaibo district, as well as city enterprises, are working to eliminate the consequences.
The Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case under the article «Provision of services that do not meet safety requirements.» In addition, the regional prosecutor«s office has launched its own inspection, which will assess compliance with housing and housing-utility legislation.
