Mini Doomsday

On December 21 the promised doomsday arrived with strong wind and heavy snowfall which, as usual, became an absolute surprise for our municipal services and a nightmare for drivers.

According to Zhoumabai Karagaev, the director of the City Department of Housing and Communal Services, Passenger Transport and Highways, the state company sent to Atyrau  4 MTZ-80 tractors with brushes for snow cleaning and 16 trucks equipped with shovels for road cleaning. They were working on Azattyk avenue, and  Satpayev, Taimanov and Makhambet Streets. The equipment belongs to Spetsavtobaza. In case snowfall intensifies, they will attract the equipment of industrial enterprises and the corresponding list has already been signed by the City Akim -Serik Aidarbekov. Along with plant and machinery 200 yard keepers are involved in snow cleaning. We drove along the city streets. Yard keepers with all their might were working with shovels, but there wasn’t a truck in sight.

Meanwhile, in the city traffic jams are everywhere, especially on bridges. All traffic inspectors and traffic police management are up and working.

– Due to weather conditions the vehicle are compelled to move with the speed of 30km/hour. Our employees are regulating the traffic movement in the most dangerous areas of the city. The schedule of duties has been approved and our employees will be working until the situation on roads stabilizes, said Myrzaly Utegaliev, the deputy head of Road Police Department by phone. According to him a few small road accidents have been registered. Fortunately, slow speed helps to avoid major accidents.

There are long queues at the tire maintenance stations - many owners of cars and buses just now rushed to change the summer tires for winter ones. To call taxi dispatchers was very difficult, and those who answered the phone – asked to wait for at least an hour before they could send a taxi.  

By Zulfiya Iskalieva

Murat Sultangaliev

Photos by Zhenis Toungatarov