Sevastopol was left without drinking water due to the flooding of the river

The administration of Sevastopol, annexed by Russia, announced Tuesday and Wednesday, January 23 and 24 as holidays due to water supply problems. On Monday, the city has a reduced working day. On January 22, the governor of the city appointed by Russia, Mikhail Razvozhaev, announced this.

Since Monday, schools and kindergartens in the city have been closed. In preschool institutions, only on-call groups work – for children whose parents continue to go to work.

Interruptions in the supply of tap water in Sevastopol began on January 19. In one night, a third of the monthly rate of precipitation fell in the city and its surroundings, which led to a powerful flood.

The situation was aggravated by the rapid melting of snow in the Crimean Mountains due to the sudden warming. The water level in the Chernoi River rose by 70 centimeters, in the Belbek River by one and a half meters. Dozens of private houses and garden plots were flooded in the suburbs of Sevastopol. In the village of Chernorechye and the village of Saharnaya Golovka, part of the residents had to be evacuated.

Due to the sharp rise in the groundwater level and the rise of mudflows, the turbidity of the water in the Chernorechen reservoir, which serves as the main source of water supply for half a million Sevastopol, has increased. The pollution indicators turned out to be 60 times higher. This led to the failure of treatment facilities. The Russian authorities temporarily stopped the operation of the water supply to prevent damage to the equipment.

From January 19, water is supplied to Sevastopol residential houses and businesses according to the schedule – several hours a day. At the same time, the water from the taps is dirty, with garbage, local residents told the correspondent of Radio Svoboda. In some parts of the city, the water supply has been completely cut off. Residents of the Gagarinsky district complained about the lack of water since noon on January 19. Officials explain this by the fact that due to the great commotion at the time of water supply, the pressure drops and water simply does not reach many houses.

Water for drinking and technical needs is delivered to different districts of Sevastopol by 20 water trucks. Judging by the photos published in local Telegram channels, long queues are forming for them.

The Russian authorities of the city claim that it will take more than 50 hours to complete the work on cleaning the water supply system. They promise to restore full water supply on the evening of January 24.