During power outages in Mykolaiv, water freezes at distribution points: the city council advises using regional heating points

People fill bottles at drinking water distribution points on 19 January. Photo: NikVesti

In Mykolaiv, frost and power outages have caused problems with water distribution points — taps are freezing and people cannot get water. The most stable points are those installed by Mykolaivoblteploenergo.

This was reported by Roman Vozniak, head of the Department of Emergency Situations and Civil Protection of the Mykolaiv City Council, in a comment to NikVesti.

Residents have been complaining about the unstable operation of free water distribution points for over a week. Residents from different parts of the city have been contacting the editorial office of NikVesti with such complaints.

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Local resident Anna said that at the corner of 9th Viiskova and Ekipazhna (Volodarskoho) streets, the situation with the water distribution point has remained difficult for over a week: the water there either freezes completely or flows with very low pressure. According to her, similar problems exist at the point near school №13.

Marina, a resident of the Zavodskyi district, notes that it is common to visit several points in search of one that is working.

«Yesterday, I spent the whole evening going from point to point, trying to find at least one without a queue of 20 people. In such cold weather, the water freezes right in the pipes. You come in the morning before work — everything is frozen, you come in the evening after work — the same thing again,» she said.

Due to the cold, not only the pipes are covered with ice, but also the machines themselves and the area around them. In a call to the contact centre at the Mykolaiv City Council, resident Olena complained about the condition of the water distribution point at 69-k Peredova Street. According to her, it is practically impossible to approach it.

«Everything around is covered with ice,» the woman said.

Frozen taps at one of the free drinking water distribution points in Mykolaiv, 19 January. Photo: NikVesti

The situation is similar at water distribution points at other municipal enterprises. For example, at the distribution point of the municipal enterprise «DEZ Pilot» near College №39 named after Y.I. Makarov College, located at 6 Vadym Blahovisnyi Street (Nikolska), local residents told NikVesti correspondents that there are also problems with the equipment itself: the bodies of the devices and buttons freeze, making it impossible to draw water.

The problem of freezing water distribution points is primarily associated with low temperatures and power outages.

Roman Vozniak, head of the Department of Emergency Situations and Civil Protection of the Mykolaiv City Council, said that he personally visited the water distribution points from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. and recorded that, according to the records, they were all working, but in fact the situation at some points remains difficult.

According to him, the most problems arise at points located in open areas or near schools, where pipes come out of the ground directly onto the street. It is in these places that the water freezes. Even after installing ceramic heating wires, the taps only work if there is a constant supply of electricity. When the power goes out, the system freezes again, and after the power is restored, it takes about 40 minutes to thaw it.

«Heating wires are effective, but only when there is electricity. When the power goes out, everything freezes again,» he explained.

One of the free drinking water distribution points in Mykolaiv, 19 January. Photo: NikVesti

On the other hand, water distribution points belonging to OKP Mykolaivoblenergo are usually located in boiler rooms, where water is heated from the premises. That is why, according to the official, they work more stably, and residents are advised to use them first.

The city council considers the option of connecting each point to a generator to be unrealistic, as there are about 260 water distribution points in the city, and each of them requires a separate generator and a person to maintain it. The possibility of moving some of the points to school premises was also considered, but this may be hindered by safety requirements and the organisation of the educational process.

«I am also a resident of the city and I also go to get water. At this stage, the best solution is to use the regional heating company's points. If there are effective proposals that can be implemented quickly, we are ready to consider them,» said Roman Vozniak.

Mykola Lohvinov, director of OKP Mykolaivoblteploenergo, stated in a comment to NikVesti that there are no major problems with the operation of the company's points. According to him, there are 79 water distribution points on the balance sheet of the regional heating company, 28 of which operate continuously, around the clock.

«We have batteries at all 79 points. They usually last for 3-4 hours of water distribution. When there is a centralised power supply, these stations have time to recharge,» he explained.

City residents collect water at a free distribution point on 19 January. Photo: NikVesti

However, about 50 points are currently operating according to hourly power outage schedules. At the same time, according to Mykola Lohvinov, the company will additionally engage about 30 small generators, which will not be able to ensure water production, but will allow water to be distributed after it has been stored in advance.

«When electricity is available, the point produces a certain amount of water and can then operate autonomously for distribution. Our teams follow the schedules, start up these points and move on along the route,» said the company's director.

He also stated that he has not observed the rush at water distribution points that is being reported on social media.

«For two days, our teams worked from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. We did not observe any long queues or critical situations. When there is electricity, people calmly collect water,» said Mykola Lohvinov.

As a reminder, there are 28 water distribution points operating in Mykolaiv on the basis of OKP Mykolaivoblteploenergo, as well as 24 drinking water distribution points operating on the basis of DEZ Pilot.