Residents of Mykolaiv have complained about a basement flooded by sewage and a foul smell — the housing and utilities department has proposed a joint pipe replacement scheme due to outstanding debts

The condition of the basement in the building. Screenshot from a video

Residents of a building on Lazurna Street in Mykolaiv are complaining about the dilapidated state of the drainage system, flooding in the basement and a persistent unpleasant smell in the entrance hall.

This is stated in a complaint published on the Mykolaiv City Council’s Contact Centre website.

According to Oleksandr Tsap, who lives at 18 Lazurna Street, sewage periodically flows into the basement, causing the stench to spread throughout the entire entrance hall. Flooding of flats on the ground floor is also reported from time to time.

The condition of the building’s basement. Screenshot from video

Condition of the building’s basement. Screenshot from video

The resident notes that he has repeatedly contacted the emergency service of the housing maintenance office, but the problem recurs after the pipes have been cleared.

«I rang the person in charge of the block to ask them to sort out the pipes and the mess in the basement, to which I received the reply: ‘My staff haven’t told me about this',» says the resident.

Later, a notice to residents appeared on the building. In it, Housing and Maintenance Office №2 states that the sewer outlet from the entrance block is blocked, and repeated attempts to clear it have been unsuccessful. Consequently, they believe that a complete replacement of the pipework is necessary.

At the same time, the company notes that carrying out such work is complicated by the residents’ significant arrears for housing management services — as of 1 April, these amount to 247,384 hryvnias.

The company proposes to replace the sewer outlet, but in collaboration with the residents.

«ZHEK-2 proposes to carry out the work to replace the sewer outlet on a joint basis (the residents of the building carry out the groundwork — digging the trench, while ZHEK-2 workers replace the sewer outlet pipeline and connect it to the water utility’s manhole),» ZHEK proposes to the residents.

ZHEK’s response to residents’ complaint

It was previously reported that residents of the building at 25/6 Levanevtsiv Street reported flooding in at least two flats due to a leaking roof and a blocked drainpipe. People claim that following the incident, the management company refused to draw up a damage report.

Residents of the building at 69 Kosmonavtiv Street are also complaining about regular flooding of flats on the ground floor of the first entrance with sewage. According to them, the problem has been going on for years.