Consequences of heavy rain in Baku: the despair of the people
Consequences of heavy rain in Baku
As a result of today’s rain, the residents of Baku struggled once again. Social media has seen the publication of videos and photos showing flooded streets and roads, as well as the formation of large puddles. The Sabunchu tunnel, where two people died due to flooding on October 21, has been inundated again. The Sabunchu railway station was also flooded.
On October 26, just a few days after the first rain, a JAMnews correspondent visited the Sabunchu district of Baku, the area most affected by the rainfall, to assess the situation of residents whose homes and yards were submerged.
“Only yesterday did the emergency services finally arrive”
This is the Sabunchu district, in the village of Pirshagi. Residents report that on the day of the heavy rain, the sewer system in the village could not cope, and almost all homes were flooded.
“Since that night, the sewer system has completely failed. Our yards were flooded. I pumped water out of my yard with a motor. Yesterday, the emergency services finally came to our village. But they couldn’t fix the sewer and left. We’re digging up the asphalt and repairing the sewer ourselves. It will cost at least 350-500 manats (approximately $205-295),” says one resident, Sadi Asgarov.
He has lived in the Sabunchu district for over 50 years. Although he has faced similar situations in the past when it rained, he claims he has never seen a situation as severe as this.
According to him, residents are anxiously monitoring the weather forecast and fear that rain will begin before the sewer is repaired.
“They say it will rain again in two days. What will our situation be then? The sewer is not working. In the past, when it rained, the sewer would get blocked, but they would come and clear it. This time, the sewer is so clogged that they have been trying for several days and cannot restore it. I am tired of calling and complaining. We are in despair,” Asgarov laments.
Today it rained again, so we reached out to the residents of the village once more. They reported that, fortunately, only a little precipitation fell where they live. Although the aftermath of the previous rain has not yet been resolved, no new problems arose.
“Washing machine, refrigerator, television, vacuum cleaner, iron. All the appliances are gone”
In an area known as “2nd State Farm” in the village of Pirshagi, there is no sewer system at all. The sanitary facilities used by residents rely on pit systems.
The Huseynov family also lives in “2nd State Farm.” On the night of October 21, they were awakened by the sound of rainwater pouring into their home.
Turkan Huseynova, who came down from the second floor, saw that the first floor was starting to fill with water. All the appliances in the house—refrigerator, washing machine, adapters, etc.—were plugged in. Fearing an electric shock from the moisture, she took her 5-year-old daughter Ilknur out of the house.
“The water started filling the basement first, then the living room on the first floor. Then the kitchen, the hallway— the entire house was underwater. When the water was still knee-deep, I managed to carry one or two mattresses to the second floor. Then the water rose above my knees. I didn’t care about the belongings anymore. I decided to get the child out of the house; I was scared she might get electrocuted,” the woman recounts.
Emergency Ministry officials arrived at their call around 2:00 AM. Turkan Guseynova says they tried to drain the rainwater that had filled the house from night until morning.
“The emergency service couldn’t bring a water pump into the house. So while they were pumping the water out of the yard, I, my mother-in-law, and our neighbor started scooping water with buckets inside the house and dumping it outside.
The basement was completely flooded. I used to store dishes there, as well as jams, compotes, and pickles I prepared for winter; they all spoiled. The washing machine, refrigerator, television, vacuum cleaner, iron—everything is gone. Since that day, even the gas stove doesn’t work,” Huseynova says.
Like many residents of the village, the Guseynovs did not insure their home, as they purchased it through municipal documentation and do not have a property deed. It is impossible to insure property without a deed.
“It’s good when we pay taxes, but bad when we ask for help?”
As a result of the flooding, more than sixty domestic birds were lost by Algayit Huseynov.
“My chicken coop is in the basement. The earth slipped at night, damaging part of the house’s foundation. Thirty chickens, ten ducks, and twenty-six turkeys drowned in the rainwater. The next morning, I went to the Sabunchu district executive authority, and they sent me to the Absheron district executive authority, and from Absheron back to Sabunchu.
They toss us around like a football. I say, every year I pay taxes to the Sabunchu executive authority. So it’s good when I pay taxes but bad when I ask for help? If you are not obligated to help me, then why do you take my money?” he questions.
After the flooding, Algayit Huseynov is left here alone; his family has temporarily moved to a relative’s house. According to him, their home is no longer fit for living.
“No one will help us”
The rain also damaged the home of Manzar Nasirova, who lives next door to the Guseynovs. Water seeped into the walls of her house, which she had renovated two years ago with a loan from the bank of 11,000 manats (about $6,500). Due to the dampness, the wallpaper has peeled off, and the ceiling has cracked in several places.
However, the 65-year-old woman has not sought help from any government institution because she does not believe that any result will come from it.
“I see those who ask for help; no one helps them. Look, my neighbor—a young woman—recently lost her husband, and now she has to support the family on her own. The poor woman built a sewer pit in her house, but when it rained, the pit collapsed. Now she can neither wash nor do the dishes. There is no money for repairs, and she won’t get help from anyone. So, I have long lost hope; I need nothing from anyone.”
