Water receded, snakes arrived: Kulsary residents face new problem

Tengrinews.kz — Residents of three apartment buildings in the Atyrau microdistrict of Kulsary, Atyrau Region, have complained about a new problem that emerged after last year’s floods. According to them, snakes have begun appearing in the damp basements, Ak Zhaiyk reports.
The buildings, constructed under the Nurly Zher state housing program, were handed over to large families in December 2023. By spring 2024, they were already in the area affected by severe flooding. For almost two months, residents were unable to enter their apartments and had to travel by boat. After the water receded, the basements were cleaned, but residents say the dampness never went away.

“The basement is completely flooded again. First, there was a musty smell, then mice appeared. Now there are snakes, and we live in fear every day. We are worried about our children. If someone is bitten by a snake, who will be held responsible?” resident Gulnaz Kashabayeva said.

According to the residents, they managed to photograph one of the snakes. They fear it may not be the only reptile in the basement.
Since the buildings are rental housing and remain on the balance sheet of the district housing and utilities department, residents believe that municipal services should eliminate the cause of the snakes’ appearance.
The district housing and utilities department takes a different position. The head of the department, Arman Abdolov, said that after residents filed a complaint, emergency service employees visited the site and killed the snake they found.
However, according to him, basements are classified as common property belonging to residents, meaning that their maintenance and cleaning are the responsibility of the owners and tenants themselves. For this reason, the housing and utilities department does not plan to clean the basement.
While residents and officials remain unable to agree on who should resolve the problem, people fear that more snakes may appear because of the persistent dampness in the basements.