Residents of three apartment buildings in Kulsary are complaining about snakes that have appeared in flooded basements. People fear for their children and demand a solution, reports infohub.kz.
Residents of three 100-unit buildings in the Atyrau microdistrict of Kulsary said they have been noticing reptiles in the basements. According to them, the premises have remained damp since last year's flood, which attracted the snakes.
The buildings were handed over to large families in December 2023. Already in spring 2024, they were hit by a massive flood. For almost two months, residents could not access their apartments and had to move around by boat. After the water receded, the basements were cleaned, but dampness, as residents claim, persisted.
“Look at the state of the basement now – it's completely flooded again. First there was a musty smell, then mice appeared. Now snakes have shown up, and we live in fear every day. We don't sleep at night, we worry about the children. If a snake bites someone, who will be responsible?” said Gulnaz Kashabayeva, a resident.
According to residents, they managed to photograph one of the snakes. They believe there may be more reptiles in the basement and ask to eliminate the cause of their appearance.
Since the buildings are rental housing and are on the balance sheet of the district housing and communal services department, residents are confident that it is the utility services that should put the basements in order.
Arman Abdolov, head of the district housing and communal services department, said that after the appeal, emergency services employees visited the site and destroyed the discovered snake.
“Basements are common property of residents, so their maintenance and cleaning are the responsibility of the residents themselves,” Arman Abdolov explained.
So far, the parties have not reached a consensus on who should solve the problem. Residents fear that while the issue remains unresolved, new snakes may appear in the basements.