Residents of Dagestan criticized the situation with illegal dumps.
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A fire at an illegal dump in the Kaytagsky district has once again raised the issue of waste disposal in Dagestan. According to local residents, such dumps are not uncommon in the area, and activists believe that the republic needs to develop a plan to improve the situation with waste collection and disposal as soon as possible.
As reported by "Caucasian Knot", on August 2, residents of the Kaytagsky district complained that the fire from the illegal dump spread to a wheat field, while the firefighting forces and local residents do not have enough resources to deal with the blaze, and the authorities are not responding to requests for help. They demanded a response from officials.
On June 20, 2023, residents of Novy Agachul, Stary Agachul, Novy Paraul, and Novy Khushet complained that they were suffering from smoke from the landfill near Makhachkala, which the court recognized as illegal. On November 27, 2025, residents of Makhachkala and Kaspiysk complained about smoke and soot from burning dumps, but the authorities assured that no dump in Dagestan is on fire, and the air in Makhachkala is fine.
A resident of the Kaytagsky district Ali told a correspondent of "Caucasian Knot" on August 3 that the fire at the illegal dump has now been extinguished. "Illegal dumps are not uncommon here, as we do not have an official site for municipal waste disposal. There was no point in complaining; if one illegal dump is closed, another appears," he said.
A local farmer Magomed told a correspondent of "Caucasian Knot" that the fire did not damage agricultural land, as the wheat field located near the fire site had already been harvested. The burning dump has been covered, he reported.
The authorities of Dagestan reported on the waste situation in the region
On August 1, a message from the head of the Kaytagsky district, Zapir Gasanov, was published on the district's website addressed to residents, heads of peasant-farmer and personal subsidiary farms. In connection with the onset of the fire hazard period, he urged everyone to be vigilant, to prevent uncontrolled burning of dry vegetation, household waste, and the lighting of fires on agricultural land.
As reported on the Telegram channel of the Dagestan government, on July 28, the Prime Minister of the republic, Magomed Ramazanov, held a working meeting in Moscow with the First Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Russian Federation, Dzhambul Khatuev.
At the meeting, Ramazanov informed that six waste management facilities are being created in Dagestan. In 2024, the construction of a landfill in the Kumtorkalin district will be completed, and in 2025 - a waste sorting complex in the Derbent district. This year, Ramazanov reported, the construction of a waste sorting complex in the Karabudakhkent district and a landfill in the Derbent district will be completed. "After the completion of all projects, the republic will have the capacity to process 950 thousand tons of waste per year, dispose of 528 thousand tons, and place 570 thousand tons," the Prime Minister of Dagestan reported.
The construction of a landfill in the Kumtorkalin district provoked protests from residents of the nearby village of Novaya Urada. They complained that waste from the landfills could seep into the soil, making the sources that supply water to the village unusable.
The waste situation in Dagestan remains severe
Eco-activist, chair of the board of the Dagestan public organization for the protection of cultural and natural heritage "Phoenix Bird" Aminat Abdurakhmanova previously told a correspondent of "Caucasian Knot" that a strategic plan should be developed as soon as possible to improve the situation in the republic regarding waste collection and disposal, as polluted air and contaminated water affect people's health every day.
"Waiting for waste processing plants to appear and whether they will be launched on time is too long. It would be good if information about the state of air and water regarding the presence of health-hazardous substances was regularly provided to residents, monitoring by Rospotrebnadzor is necessary," Abdurakhmanova believes.
The FAS revealed collusion in the construction of landfills in Dagestan amounting to 14.9 billion rubles, reported the Telegram channel "Ask Rasul".
According to the FAS, the collusion operated from 2021 to 2026 and involved tenders for the design and construction of waste sorting complexes and landfills, as well as the conclusion of concession agreements. Among the participants indicated by the FAS are LLC "SK "Hydrokor", LLC "Republican Ecological Operator", as well as a number of other business entities and government bodies.
"Novoe Delo" reported that a criminal case has been initiated by the investigative department of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for the North Caucasian Federal District on the grounds of a crime under part 4 of article 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (fraud). "During the preliminary investigation of the criminal case, 38 searches were conducted in the Republic of Dagestan, in the Astrakhan region, St. Petersburg, the Chuvash Republic, and the Moscow and Voronezh regions, during which items and documents significant for the criminal case were seized," the publication reports.
A lawyer named the conditions for receiving compensation in case of fire
The legislation provides for several types of liability for violations of fire safety rules that caused damage, a lawyer Ali Aliyev told a correspondent of "Caucasian Knot".
This includes, in particular, administrative liability, which provides for the imposition of a fine. If the fire caused significant damage, the perpetrator may be held criminally liable under article 261 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, which provides for punishment for damage caused to forest or other plantations. "Farmers whose lands were affected by the fire have the right to compensation for the value of the destroyed crop, expenses for restoring soil fertility, and lost profits. To do this, it is necessary to call representatives of the fire service to draw up an act that will record the causes and extent of the damage. An independent examination is required for its assessment. The expert will assess the value of the destroyed crop based on market prices. If voluntary compensation is not forthcoming, it is necessary to go to court with a claim, attaching all collected evidence," the lawyer explained.
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