Residents of a building in Nalchik complained about emergency sewerage.

Several apartments in a building on Kadyrov Street in Nalchik suffered serious damage after another sewer line break. The Nalchik administration has failed to transfer the building to Vodokanal, and the management company is unable to resolve the problem of regular breaks.

The sewer system in an apartment building on Kadyrov Street in Nalchik regularly breaks down and floods the ground floors, posing a health hazard and making living conditions unbearable, residents Lidiya Bitsueva, Zamira Dolova, and Aksana Shadova told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

According to residents, sewer clogs occur regularly, every two to three months. The management company, which residents contact, has been clearing blockages as they arise, but has not addressed the underlying cause of the frequent sewer failures. The latest breakdown occurred on April 24.

"Almost since we moved into the building, the main sewer system has been constantly clogged, resulting in runoff flooding the surrounding area. This time, the flooding also affected the apartments on the first floor. When we contacted JSC Vodokanal Nalchik, they told us the building wasn't on their books, even though we pay our water and sewer bills every month," said Aksana Shadova.

The women reported that they have to chip in to pay for plumbers' work each time, which is sometimes paid for by the management company of the TSN Edelweiss. According to the residents of the building, clearing the blockage each time costs a significant amount.

“On April 24th of this year, another major sewer blockage occurred. The chairwoman of the Edelweiss Homeowners' Association informed us that plumbers were charging 24,000 rubles for the cleaning. That same day, we called the Nalchik Vodokanal dispatch service. The Vodokanal dispatcher categorically stated that our address was not serviced by them and recommended that we contact the developer or the Nalchik city administration. We believe this is nothing more than inaction and blaming each other,” stated one of the residents.

According to the women, on the night of April 24th-25th, sewage gushed into their first-floor apartments, flooding the premises. The flood damaged apartments #5, #32, and #33 the most, where Bitsueva, Dolova, and Shadova live with their families. Their apartments now require major repairs.

According to Irina Matvienko, chair of the Edelweiss HOA, the problem is that the Nalchik administration has not transferred the building to the Vodokanal. "Because of this, I have to clean the sewer system every time at the HOA's expense. Last year, we cleaned it four times, costing 96,000 rubles. Why it wasn't transferred to the HOA's balance sheet is not my responsibility," she told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Nalchik lawyer Oleg Sergeev believes that residents of the damaged apartments should draw up a report and file a lawsuit seeking compensation for damages caused by the utility accident. He called the incident a gross violation of citizens' constitutional rights to favorable living conditions.

"A claim can be filed against Vodokanal, the management company, and even the developer if it is established that the sewer system was initially installed in violation of technical standards," the lawyer noted.