Sienkevych reported on Mykolaiv’s preparations for winter, but urged residents to prioritise safety
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Oleksandr Sienkevych, Mayor of Mykolaiv. Screenshot from a video addressMykolaiv is prepared for the heating season; however, due to possible Russian attacks, the city must be ready for various scenarios, ranging from short-term power cuts to damage to boiler houses and heating networks.
Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych spoke about this in a video address which he posted on his social media accounts.
He noted that all 100 boiler houses belonging to the municipal enterprise «Mykolaivobltheploenergo» have undergone routine maintenance. In addition, 19 boilers have been completely overhauled, 153 central and individual heating substations have been prepared for operation, and hydraulic tests have been carried out on nearly 490 kilometres of heating networks. In addition, nearly 7 kilometres of heating networks in the city have been completely overhauled, and a further 2 kilometres have been reconstructed. Old steel pipes have been replaced with pre-insulated ones.
«The old steel pipes have been replaced with modern, pre-insulated ones. These pipes last longer, lose less heat on their way to your homes, and the built-in alarm system immediately indicates the location of any damage or leaks. Every kilometre replaced means fewer bursts in winter and fewer homes left without heating due to accidents. In the summer, you saw excavation work taking place across the city, as this is what this work looks like,» said Oleksandr Sienkevych.
At the same time, the city is preparing for possible breakdowns caused by Russian shelling. All municipal enterprises must check their generators, build up fuel reserves sufficient for at least two weeks of autonomous operation, and prepare standby emergency teams and the necessary materials for repairing the networks.
Separately, the city authorities are analysing which residential buildings, schools and nurseries depend on each boiler house, so that, in the event of damage, they can understand the scale of potential outages and how to ensure people are kept warm.
In the event of a prolonged lack of heating in the city, warming centres are being set up in educational, cultural and sports facilities. Locations have also been identified across Mykolaiv’s districts for the installation of 14 tents equipped with generators — three in each district, with a further two in reserve. These are to be equipped with beds, bedding, water and space heaters. The addresses of the warming centres are to be published once the list has been approved by the executive committee.
Medical facilities have also been provided with everything they need. For winter road maintenance, municipal services have already prepared over 2,000 tonnes of sand-and-salt mixture and are expecting a further 750 tonnes or so.
However, the mayor also urged the residents of Mykolaiv to prepare their homes for the cold weather themselves: to check windows and doors, insulate their homes, and ensure they have supplies of water, warm clothing, blankets, power banks and torches. He also reminded residents of the safety rules to follow during any power cuts: flats must not be heated using gas hobs or ovens, and generators must not be used indoors due to the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.
«It is the responsibility of each and every one of us. We, as the city authorities, are preparing the city, but whether your flat is warm also depends on you,» remarked the mayor.
Heating in Mykolaiv is scheduled to be switched on when the average daily air temperature over a three-day period does not exceed +8°C. Heat will initially be supplied to hospitals, schools, nurseries and other social institutions, and then to residential buildings.
As a reminder, in September it was announced that the Mykolaiv region would receive over 751 million гривень from the state budget for measures to ensure the region’s resilience. The funds will be channelled towards protecting critical infrastructure, heating and water supply, as well as the development of power generation.
