INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Thousands of people in the Far East city of Chita have been left without heating and hot water amid subzero winter temperatures following an
accident at a local heating plant on Tuesday.The leak at the Mashinostroitelny plant came as temperatures plunged to minus 20 degrees
Celsius (minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit), the Chita.ru news website reported.The Mashinostroitelny heating plant has been plagued by frequent
hazardous and responsible for over 200 tons of harmful emissions.Its owner, former Chita mayor and United Russia member Vladimir Zabelin,
had promised residents that repairs would be carried out last winter
But in March 2024, he offered to sell the facility to the city administration for 107 million rubles ($1.2 million)
The administration declined the offer, citing budget constraints.Meanwhile, in the Far East republic of Sakha (Yakutia), residents of the
shutdown of the district's central heating plant.Temperatures inside some homes dropped to 5-7 C (minus 41-45 F), causing pipes and
utilities minister to visit Zhigansk and declare a regional state of emergency
electrical grid."We need to think about how our power plant can handle this load
After all, people are turning on more than one [electric] heater [in their homes]
So the issue is very serious
regular occurrence in Russia due to aging infrastructure.In January 2024, thousands of residents across several regions endured days without
heat, electricity or hot water amid freezing temperatures.
