Garashsyzlyk Avenue (formerly, ul. Sovetskaya) has been closed to motor transport since June.
Correspondents of “Chronicles of Turkmenistan” report that a storm water sewage system is being installed along one of Ashgabat’s main streets, which is used by President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov to get to his workplace “Oguzkhan” palace.
According to the schedule, the works are expected to be completed by August.
Inhabitants of apartment blocks and owners of cafes and shops located along the motorway are extremely discontent.The vendors complain that revenues have dropped due to a lack of customers, and local residents have to walk long distances to the nearest bus stop to be able to get to work and then return home.
It should be emphasized that the outside temperature has recently reached 45 degrees Celsius.
Correspondents of “Chronicles of Turkmenistan” report that many local residents have expressed criticism towards the authorities, which has not happened in the past.
“Why, during the installation of projects, does the President pay attention to marble curbs and posts with lanterns, but forgets about the drainage system? Why don’t the professionals prompt him if he is not aware of that? It is just window dressing for television!”, —one of the outraged passers-by says.
At the same time, the municipal authorities are installing water drains on the “protocol streets” and heavy machinery has been deployed for a month in the residential district Parakhat-7 (MIR-7) along Baba Annanova street in order to fill up the ravine where mudflows had come down from the mountains.
We have failed to find out why the ravine is being filled up.
Over a year ago a similar ravine was filled up near the residential district Parakhat-4 (MIR-4). A fee-based parking lot was built here.
On 15 May Ashgabat was flooded with rainstorms. Torrential rain flooded the so-called “protocol motorways” along which the Presidential motorcade drives every day.
According to the website ANT, at that time several districts of the city were inundated with mudflows from the mountains.
Two days after the mudflow the President dismissed Deputy Defense Minister responsible for emergency situations and reprimanded ministers and officials overseeing construction.
On 7 June 2018, an action plan to drain large volumes of storm water from Ashgabat streets and avenues was presented to President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov.
In September 2017, the project of using existing geographic ravines as natural mudflow drainage was presented to the President. The proposal was adopted.