Krasnodar residents pointed out to authorities the unresolved problem with water pumping.

In the Muzykalny microdistrict, some streets remain flooded, said a local resident. "The main thing is not to walk in its flooded heart, but you can even walk down the street," she told a Caucasian Knot correspondent on condition of anonymity.

According to her, the water pumping equipment arrived quickly, but it was insufficient. "Especially when there are other neighborhoods besides Muzykalny," said a Muzykalny resident.

Olga, a resident of 1 Maya Street, noted that the equipment didn't arrive for her grandparents until June 17. "The garden was flooded. Everything my grandmother planted was flooded, and there won't be any harvest, which is bad, as it was food. A chicken drowned. The water didn't get into the house; it's lucky the house is slightly higher than the other neighbors on the street, who weren't so lucky and had water in their house," she told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Olga noted that her relatives had to pump out the water themselves before the emergency services arrived. "My grandparents pumped out the water themselves, and the water more or less drained from the garden. On June 17th, municipal equipment arrived and pumped out the water from the basement," she explained.

Flooding occurred in Krasnodar because the storm drain system isn't designed to handle the city's rapidly expanding size, according to a local activist.

"Even the regional governor [Veniamin] Kondratyev publicly acknowledged last August, before the elections, that the city relies on utilities designed for 0.4 million residents. Currently, according to official data, the city has a population of 1.3 million," he told a Caucasian Knot correspondent on condition of anonymity.

According to his calculations, at least 2.2 million people currently live in Krasnodar. "The city, which relies on utilities designed for a maximum of half a million people—yes, that is, if we take Soviet standards with a reserve—has been overbuilt, and now five times as many people live there. The utilities don't match the volume of construction. That's why the streets are flooded and will continue to flood," the activist emphasized.

The authorities are not allocating enough funds for storm drain maintenance in Krasnodar, he continued. "At best, 25% of what is needed is allocated. This, again, is publicly acknowledged by the Krasnodar city administration. And road maintenance, among other things, includes the maintenance of the same storm drains. As a result, they remain unrepaired," he stated.

Authorities should set a date by which the flooding problem must be eliminated, the lawyer pointed out.

"If the authorities fail to respond to flooding at all (fail to send equipment, fail to draw up a report, fail to respond to requests), this is a violation. If they respond, but with a clear delay or without justification—for example, fail to provide specific deadlines for elimination, fail to record the fact of flooding in the prescribed manner—this is also a violation," he explained to a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent on condition of anonymity.

When determining areas from which water will be pumped, the decision on priority is usually made based on an overall assessment of the situation, he noted. Lawyer.

If residents submit requests for water pumping and the equipment doesn't arrive, they should file complaints with the municipal administration, housing inspectorate, and prosecutor's office, along with documents documenting the extent of the flooding.

As for the amount of compensation, the lawyer continued, it's primarily a matter of insurance. "Since a state of emergency has not been declared in Krasnodar, the authorities are not obligated to pay any compensation. If a car is flooded, it can be repaired using a comprehensive insurance policy that includes a 'natural disaster' clause," he said.

"Caucasian Knot" also reported that Krasnodar residents had previously complained that utility services were not responding to their requests. "Vodokanal" cancels the request and says, "We don't pump water, call the city duty officer." The city duty officer also cancels the request and says, "We don't do that," wrote on VKontakte Kirill Dolmatov.

"Is 34 units of equipment a "massive amount"? "For a city of two million people?" asked Andrey Lycha.

"The rescue of flood victims is the work of the flood victims themselves," quipped Sergey Murashov.

"How interesting, but why do we pay taxes?" wrote Tatiana Surina.

As of 7:40 a.m. Moscow time on June 20, there were no comments on the Krasnodar administration website regarding residents' complaints about utility companies ignoring requests for water pumping.

* Meta (owner of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp) is banned in Russia.