In St. Petersburg, the pipes are constantly breaking through, accidents lead to the death of people. Why this is the case and whether the authorities are trying to rectify the situation

On St. Petersburg heating networks, large accidents are constantly taking place: boiling water floods roads and cars. In the Krasnoselsky district, the accident led to the death of a woman in an apartment of a residential building, and in Frunzensky a bus with passengers fell into an erosion on April 24. “Paper” tells why in St. Petersburg every heating season breaks through pipes, despite regular repairs.

How often do pipe breakthroughs occur in St. Petersburg?

The largest number of heating systems of St. Petersburg, about 90 %, serve Teploset JSC and the State Unitary Enterprise "TEK SPb". During the 2017/18 heating season, the Heating Networks had 338 damage to the main and distribution networks and 1763 on quarterly. The Energy Committee reported that the number of heat supply violations in the houses at Teploseta for that season has grown in comparison with the past: 236 technological violations against 139 in the 2016/17 season. In 2018, TEK SPb reported on a decrease in damage to its networks by 9.9 %. For this season, the company had 0.4 defect per 1 km of networks - in total, the organization has more than 4700 km. "Paper" also requested current data from the "Heat network". The heating season begins and ends depending on the weather. Turn on heating if the weather lasts below eight degrees within five days. As a rule, in St. Petersburg the heating season lasts from the beginning of October to early May.

Why are the pipes constantly repairing, but are they still flowing?

The main reason for the breakthrough of the heating systems indicated by the companies serving them is the high wear of the pipes. About 45 % of the heating systems in St. Petersburg are worn out of the norm, said the head of JSC “Heat Set of St. Petersburg” Igor Strendko in October 2018, referring to the research of the company. The Chairman of the Committee on Energy and Engineering Support of St. Petersburg Andrei Bondarchuk said that about 30 % of the heating systems in the city are currently being exploited for more than 25 years. The “FEC SPb” “Paper” reported that about 22 % of the heating systems were developed for which they are responsible for their resource. So that this indicator does not grow, according to the organization, it is necessary to shift 190 km of pipes per year. And in order to decrease by at least 1 % - 240 km per year. In 2018, the TEK SPB replaced and paved 140 km of pipes, in 2019 it plans to reconstruct and build at least 145 km. At the same time, accidents often occur in the same parts of the city. For example, a pipe, as a result of a gap on April 24, failed into a bus of a bus in the south of St. Petersburg, broke off six times in nine years, wrote Fontanka. Experts explain this by the fact that new damage can appear just a few meters from the previous breakthrough. As a rule, when eliminating a defect, workers only put a “patch”, and do not change the entire pipe. According to the Energy Committee for 2017, so that the networks are constantly in good condition, you need to shift 400 km of pipes per year - in fact, only half of this number is reconstructed. In Smolny, it was said that in order to eliminate dilapidated pipes, it is necessary to invest 6 billion rubles a year in the reconstruction of networks for ten years.

How dangerous are the breakthroughs?

The water temperature in the place of breakthroughs can reach 100 degrees, so it is life -threatening. The exact numbers about the affected by communal accidents in St. Petersburg have not been published recently, however, reports and social networks regularly have reports about Petersburgers who have fallen into spills. The victims receive severe burns, in some cases people die in place or in the hospital. In October 2018, two visitors to the Anticafa “Typical Peter” were killed due to the breakthrough of the pipe on Izmailovsky Prospekt. In early April 2019, boiling water from a broken pipe flooded the apartment of a residential building-the woman who was in it died . On April 24, a passenger bus failed in the asphalt boiled asphalt in the south of St. Petersburg - the victims managed to avoid the actions of drivers who did not open the bus doors, despite the requirements of passengers, and did not allow them to go to the spill. In some areas, breakthroughs occur more often. According to TEK SPb, it is not the first year that the situation in the Pushkin and Kolpinsky districts is not the first year - the specific damage to the networks there exceeds the average for the enterprise by 2.5 times. These accidents make up a third of all with which the “fuel and energy complex of St. Petersburg” works. The company explains this by the special status of a suburban heat supply area, which does not allow a large -scale reconstruction of the heating systems. At the same time, many communications there are in poor condition, since earlier for many years they were improperly operated by private companies, they say at the FEC of St. Petersburg.

What do the authorities do so that the pipes do not break through?

Typically, in the spring and summer, heating networks are tested to prevent accidents in the heating period. Specialists of resource -supplying companies regularly conduct diagnostics and detours of heating systems. However, during tests, breakthroughs also occur. The “FEC SPb” “Paper” said that they are now working on new, more technological methods for diagnosing damage, which will reveal violations at the early stage, as well as diagnose the condition of the pipes from the inside. After the tragedy on Izmailovsky Prospekt Gazprom and Smolny , they agreed to provide 1.5 billion rubles from the budget of St. Petersburg in 2019 for the reconstruction of the network complex and pipes of Teploseti. In just three years, they plan to allocate 9 billion rubles from the budget for these works.

How to understand that the pipe is about to break through, and what to do if the breakthrough has already occurred?

The TEK SPb provides several objective signs that an accident can occur on the heat network. We are talking about both more obvious signs, for example, the appearance of steam or the water protruding on the surface, and about the subsidence of the soil. In addition, if in raw weather the plot of land remains dry or green grass becomes visible in winter, this also indicates a possible damage to the pipes. Experts recommend holding on further from places where signs of an accident are noticeable - at least at a distance of 20 meters. If the accident is already eliminated, the workers must set restrictions - in no case should you go for them. If signs of an accident are detected, you should immediately call emergency services at number 004 or 112.

Are there compensation to victims due to accidents?

If as a result of the accident there are victims, companies serving the heating systems are responsible for this and are obliged to compensate for losses in accordance with insurance conditions. These conditions are usually spelled out on the sites of organizations - for example, at the “TEK SPb” they can be found in the “ Citizens ” section. According to the law on sites, they are required to post information about current payments. For example, the families of those who died during a breakthrough of the pipe on Izmailovsky Prospekt “Teploset” promised to pay 2 million rubles for insurance and not more than 25 thousand for burial. In the “TEK SPb” to the victims of the accident, in which the woman died in early April, also promised to pay 2 million rubles. Photo on the cover: vk.com