Heating Restored in Karabash After Accident
Vice Governor of Chelyabinsk Region Andrey Faleichik reported on Friday, January 23, that heating in Karabash«s apartment buildings has been restored after the accident. Specialists are now working on internal tasks: thawing frozen pipes and fixing leaks.
«All houses are connected. The resource—heat—is entering every house,» emphasized the deputy head of the region. «Our distribution points are lower, that is, in the basement. Accordingly, all distribution points are operational: they are not frozen, there are no emergencies there, no leaks (local damage or cracks. — Ed.), nothing. Next comes monitoring of the risers. We understand which of them are frozen, and they, of course, are being thawed. Where repair work is necessary, this repair work is being carried out by the management companies. They can install a bypass to handle any emergency situations—with subsequent replacement. If it»s a heating radiator, then it will be replaced.«
Due to severe frosts, reaching -30°C (-22°F), the walls in many apartments are thoroughly frozen, so instant warming is not expected.
«On average, a house takes up to a day and a half to heat up,» said Andrey Faleichik. «Given that sub-zero temperatures persist, it simply won»t heat up faster in terms of thermal engineering, even though the boiler house is now operating in normal mode. Both the supply and return temperatures are sufficient, there are no losses on the network. But, nevertheless, [it will not be possible to heat it faster], unfortunately, that«s physics, we can»t escape it.«
Volunteers are going door-to-door to collect operational information and record emergency cases. Their data allows for efficient direction of repair crews. Employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations (EMERCOM), the enterprise «Karabashmed,» and utility services from Kasli, Kyshtym, and Chebarkul are involved in eliminating the consequences. Damage caused to residents due to bursts is subject to compensation.
«First, we will in any case resolve the issue of a complete, one hundred percent startup of all apartments. If there is any damage, we will then look at who exactly is at fault, but in any case, it will be fixed,» assured the vice governor.
On January 24 and 25, Karabash residents are offered the opportunity to visit a bathhouse for free. This decision was made by the management of the «Karabashmed» company. To register, you must call in advance at 8-909-084-49-06.
Recall that the first complaints about the lack of heating and hot water in Karabash were received on January 20. As a result, two districts of the city, including more than 30 residential buildings, were left without heat. Although on January 21 authorities announced the elimination of the accident on the heating main, in reality the situation did not normalize immediately. As residents reported, in a number of houses heating did not appear at all, leading to frozen walls and burst radiators. A criminal case on charges of negligence has been initiated over the incident.
