Residents of a multi-story building in Turkestan have been grappling with a problem that has gone unresolved for five years: the elevator constantly breaks down, and water has been leaking into the stairwell for a year. People have filed dozens of complaints with every authority, but the situation remains unchanged, the website infohub.kz reports.
The situation is especially hard on Asylzada Pakisbayeva, who has suffered from cerebral palsy since birth and lives on the ninth floor. "This is how I suffer, yes, I live on the ninth floor. If I need to go somewhere and the elevator isn't working, I have to walk. On average it takes about two and a half hours each way. But what can I do? There's no way out. I rest along the way. Sometimes I fall," the woman said.
Asylzada Pakisbayeva, 32, waited ten years in the queue for housing, and two years ago she was given an apartment. But now, to get down from the ninth floor to the street and back, she spends half a day.
Residents say the elevator in the building breaks down constantly. It gets repaired, but the fix lasts only a few days. As a result, people either have to stay home or climb the flights of stairs. But even that option comes with obstacles — water of unknown origin has been leaking in the stairwell for a year.
"It would be one thing if the water leaked after rain, but there's no rain, for example. Where is this water coming from? They come, they check. They talk and leave. They say the cleaners are using water incorrectly, and so on," local resident Ramazan Darkhanbay said.
City residents note that they have already filed complaints with the akimat. According to them, the seeping water could cause the foundation to subside.
"I went to the akimat three times and talked to them. They promise to fix it. But nothing happens. I no longer believe the promises. We are constantly being deceived," Bekzhan Osmanov said.
Local officials met and spoke with residents of the affected buildings, promising to bring the situation under control.
"The water in the stairwell is a roof leak, coming through the ventilation. We have drawn up a defect report for the roof. Everything will be fixed. If there is damage or material loss in the apartments, we will determine that in the near future," said Dauren Maulenov, deputy head of the construction department of the Turkestan akimat.
As for the elevator problem, officials at the akimat said they do not plan to address it. According to them, it is the property of the apartment owners — and the residents will have to repair it themselves.