Millions of manats were allocated from the state budget for the sewage lines in the Sabunchu district, where a tragedy recently occurred.

Seyidrza Ganiyev, the cousin of Elnur Shirinov, who drowned in a flooded tunnel in Sabunchu, shared his story. "He was the only one who brought home the bread. He transported bread from Baku to Kurdamir and earned around 25 manats once or twice a week."

According to Ganiyev, Elnur, a father of two, did not have a permanent job. He and his friend, Kocheri Abbasov, traveled from Kurdamir to Baku to make a living by delivering bread.

"This tragedy happened while he was in Baku searching for work. We buried him today. He has two children, both of whom are in school. His daughter is in the 7th grade, while his son is younger. Elnur did not have steady employment and only brought home 25 manats a week. He was transporting bread from Baku to Kurdamir and did not qualify for social support because of his lack of a regular job."

What happened behind the millions spent?

The Sabunchu district experienced severe flooding following the intense rains on October 22. Several areas in the region, where new sewage systems had recently been installed, were inundated. Tragically, two individuals, Kocheri Abbasov and Elnur Shirinov, lost their lives due to the flooding.

Before this, the United Water Supply Service of Large Cities issued a statement attributing the flooding to precipitation levels that exceeded the norm. It was noted that the rainwater drainage systems still in use date back to the Soviet era and are now outdated.

Inspections by AbzasMedia reveal that the water and sewage lines in the Sabunchu district are not remnants of the Soviet era. In fact, even after Azerbaijan regained independence, sewage lines were not constructed in these areas for many years.

During a meeting with Sabunchu residents 13 years ago, President Ilham Aliyev addressed the sewage issues in the region, noting that there were no sewage lines in the Sabunchu settlement or other nearby areas.

"This is the most significant problem. We are working to resolve it. This is still just the initial stage of our efforts; main roads will be repaired, and kindergartens, schools, and medical centers will be built, along with sewage lines," President Aliyev stated.

"Master Plan"

Water and sewage reconstruction works in Baku began in 2006-2007. The Hovsan Treatment Plant Station, Zigh Pumping Station No. 2, and the main sewage collectors have been rebuilt. Azadlig Radio reports that these projects were funded by a €35 million loan from the French government and 44.9 million manat allocated from the Azerbaijani budget.

In 2011, during a visit to Sabunchu, the president promised that sewage issues would be addressed based on a state program. A few years later, Gorkhmaz Huseynov, chairman of "Azersu" OJSC, stated at the professional holiday for water management and reclamation workers that a "Master Plan" for sewage systems and rainwater management had been developed and that real work had commenced.

One year after this speech, in 2017, Ilham Aliyev signed an order to reconstruct the water supply and sewage systems in the Sabunchu and Surakhani regions. According to this order, 3.73 million manats were allocated to the "Azersu" Open Joint Stock Company. In total, 14.7 million manats were allocated in that year. In 2019, an additional 3 million manats were designated to reconstruct the water supply and sewage systems in the Sabunchu district.

Official information indicates that collectors were built to manage rainwater, and the sewage lines were renewed.

Millions Allocated from the State Budget

The official portal of State Procurement reveals that the construction of water and sewage lines in the Sabunchu district was not solely controlled by the "Azersu" Open Joint Stock Company.

For instance, a contract announcement in 2018 indicates that the Social Development Fund for IDPs also entered into a purchase contract for technical infrastructure valued at 3 million 506 thousand 132 manats in the Sabunchu district. Although this contract was signed with "Azersu Supply and Construction" OJSC, no information on whether a tender was conducted for this project is available.

In October 2019, the "Azersu" Open Joint Stock Company signed a purchase agreement with "Engineer Construction Project" LLC for the reconstruction of the water supply and sewage systems in the Sabunchu settlement. The contract was valued at 296,100 manats.

In 2022, another purchase agreement was signed between the "Azersu" Open Joint Stock Company and "Arko Repair Construction Company" LLC for the reconstruction of the Ramana settlement's water supply and sewage systems. The total value of this contract, awarded through an open tender, was 8,202,558 manats.

Despite the funds allocated and the work completed over the years, the residents of Sabunchu continued to face issues with flooding.