In early summer all benefits, including free water supply were abolished, and the authorities demanded that residents install water meters at their own expense.
Moreover, house administrators in Ashgabat are no longer issuing certificates to residents if they do not have water meters.
The editorial board of “Chronicles of Turkmenistan” learned that residents are now forced to pay for their water supply for 2016 despite the fact that the President instructed the end of all benefits on 6 June 2017. It should be noted that these are fees not for excess water consumption but merely for its usage.
At the same time, Turkmen residents are still experiencing problems with the water supply.In Ashgabat hot running water as well as cold water is available round-the-clock only in elite residential districts.
Residential districts are continuously supplied only with cold running water, which does not reach the top floors.The water supply and waste water treatment enterprise does not deal with these problems and therefore residents are urged to install their own pumps or to make financial contributions for pipe replacements.
In other cities cold water is supplied several times a day. For instance, in the city of Mary running water is available round-the-clock whereas in other cities water supply is cut off for several hours in the morning, afternoon and evening.
According to a local inhabitant, in Krasnovodsk running water is available only twice a day from 6 to 8 p.m., sometimes to 10 p.m.Often due to poor water pressure it fails to reach upper floors.
Water is frequently supplied every other day and for this reason dozens of water tankers stand near each apartment block (both ground tanks and those imbedded in the ground).
Residents fill tanks with water by extending a pipe from the Municipal Enterprise of Water Supply and Waste Water Treatment and then pumping it up to the apartment.
Those who have no opportunity to buy a water container or install pumps, stockpile water at home.Owing to the poor pressure, water does not go higher than the second floor, so residents are forced to fill water bottles or buckets from their neighbour on the first floor and send them up.
They fill the bath or store water in other containers to ensure their water supply for a few days.
Water supply is one of the urgent problems in the city. People are outraged. The Avaza complex was built nearby but the authorities fail to provide residents with water. Moreover, although power cuts are frequent in the city a local recreational area is brightly illuminated round-the-clock, a city inhabitant says.
Rural areas are experiencing the most acute water supply problem. Village inhabitants order water from neighbouring towns.
Water is delivered from cities in special-purpose water tankers, is poured into reservoirs where people later collect it. Several neighbours generally share a reservoir and then make contribute to pay for water delivery service. It costs 100 manats ($15 using the “black” market rate) to order one water tanker.