Residents of the Alatau microdistrict in Almaty have been suffering from the lack of centralized water supply, sewage, and proper roads for 11 years. Despite the area being incorporated into the city over a decade ago, the necessary infrastructure has never been built, reports infohub.kz.

Locals are forced to order water from private tanker trucks, which costs them significant amounts. One resident, Zhanat Zholdasbayev, expressed the general outrage: "For 11 years we've had no water, no sewage, no roads. Do you realize we live in a metropolis, in the city of Almaty? They simply forgot about us."

Andrei Vinokhodov, who moved to the district three years ago, spoke of the financial burden: 10 cubic meters of delivered water costs about 20,000 tenge, and his family's monthly expenses exceed 100,000 tenge. "We buy drinking water at the store. For washing dishes, doing laundry, and so on, we order water tankers. In winter, they can't get up here because the slopes are very steep and there are no roads," he shared.

After contacting the city administration (akimat), work on laying sewage pipes began in the area but then stopped. The roads were dug up, but the pipes never appeared. Due to poor roads, cars get stuck in mud during bad weather, and residents fear that in an emergency, rescue services won't be able to reach their homes.

Oksana Kuznetsova cited an example: during one fire, a fire truck couldn't climb about 300–400 meters. "The firefighters ran up and practically put out the fire with their hands. Then locals started giving them rides down. The same could happen with an ambulance. If a child gets sick or my elderly mother, who is over 70, she simply couldn't be taken away," the woman said.

The Nauryzbai district akimat stated that they plan to address the problem in stages. First, they intend to find a water source, then continue sewage construction. Yerkyn Aspandiyar, a specialist from the akimat's engineering and road infrastructure department, explained: "We want to first solve the water supply issue. We are currently searching for water underground. We are also laying sewage pipes. This project is planned until the end of 2027. We cannot solve this in one year. If we make a mistake, given that the houses are on a slope, there could be a landslide threat."

Thus, residents will not see a full solution until at least the end of 2027, and their patience is wearing thin.