Hundreds of homes in the village of Besagash near Almaty have been left without irrigation water during the extreme heat. A new system, costing billions of tenge, has failed to resolve the issue, reports infohub.kz.

According to local residents, the disruptions have been ongoing for over 30 years. During hot weather, water periodically disappears from taps, forcing people to buy bottled water and store supplies for household needs.

"Summer becomes a nightmare for us. It's always the same problem. I filled a basin with water earlier. See, it's sitting here with me so the sun can warm it up. I'll wash with this water tonight," said Besagash resident Vyacheslav Goncharov.

In total, around 800 homes in the southern part of Besagash are without water. Residents blame the old reservoir.

"They promised to open it after our meetings and appeals—this isn't the first time. After I sent a letter to the prosecutor's office, they came and said, 'Connect up, the Southern project is complete, the reservoir is working.' In reality, it's a pile of metal; nothing works there," lamented resident Aiman Sabdenova.

A new reservoir was installed in Besagash nearly a year ago. According to documents, it was commissioned in December and was supposed to solve the long-standing problem. Around five billion tenge was spent on the entire water supply system. Yet the water shortage persists.

According to representatives of the akimat (local administration), the old reservoir cannot cope with the demand. In addition to residents, water from it is used for irrigating fields, as well as by restaurants and shops. The system has now been inspected. Homeowners still need to connect their properties to the new network.

"Now it's up to the residents. We've laid subscriber pipes to each gate. They now need to run the pipes into their homes. That's the only issue at this point. Last night we fed water from the new reservoir into the old one because people haven't fully switched to the new supply. The water wasn't turned off all night. Everyone has water at the moment," said Yernar Zhunusov, akim of the Besagash rural district.

Authorities assure that once all homes are connected to the new system, the water disruptions will end.