Interruptions in water supply to the residents of Derbent have led to a criminal case.

The water supplied to the homes of the residents of Derbent is insufficient to meet their needs, which poses a threat to their health, investigators stated. Residents of Derbent have long complained about interruptions in water supply, and city authorities previously acknowledged that the situation has worsened despite the transfer of municipal infrastructure to a single operator.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", residents of Derbent regularly complain about the water supply issue. On July 30, 2025, the mayor of Derbent acknowledged that the water supply situation has worsened despite the transfer of municipal infrastructure to a single operator.

According to the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for Dagestan, a criminal case was initiated after a complaint about interruptions in water supply in Derbent was identified online. Investigators found that water is supplied to residential houses in insufficient quantities.

"During monitoring of the internet, a publication was identified regarding interruptions in water supply in the historical area of the 'Seventh Magal' of the city of Derbent. Water is supplied to residential houses in insufficient volumes to meet the needs of local residents and poses a threat to their health," the agency's statement, which was reported today by "Interfax", said.

The criminal case is being investigated under part 1 of Article 238 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ("Provision of services that do not meet the safety requirements for the life and health of consumers", which provides for up to two years of imprisonment, – Note from "Caucasian Knot"), the statement said.

It should be noted that the issue of water supply has been relevant in Derbent for a long time. For instance, in March 2024, a pensioner Rumiya Ismailova, living in the Seventh Magal, told a correspondent of "Caucasian Knot" that water was supplied to their homes only for one hour every other day, and appeals to the mayor's office and "Vodokanal" yielded no results. The woman noted that water supply was organized significantly better in other parts of the city.

"We feel like outcasts <...> The problem remains as it was," Ismailova complained at that time.

Her neighbor Javair reported that sometimes there is no water for three to four days, although there are small children and a person with a disability in the family. Another resident of the neighborhood, Khanim, noted that water is often supplied at night, and the pressure is insufficient even when using pumps.

A Vodokanal employee in Derbent confirmed to "Caucasian Knot" in March 2024 that there was no round-the-clock water supply in the city. According to him, districts received water in turn, depending on the filling of reservoirs, so most residents are forced to install storage tanks.

As early as July 2023, a resident of Derbent Farhad informed a correspondent of "Caucasian Knot" that some streets in the old part of the city receive water every other day for two to three hours. According to the man, this arrangement has been in place for about ten years, and municipal services explain it by a lack of water. Residents have to stock up on water in containers, and before weddings and funerals, they separately arrange for water delivery by water trucks.

A human rights activist from the "Housing and Utilities Monitoring" organization called the supply of cold water according to such a schedule a violation of residents' rights to uninterrupted water supply. He explained that residents can contact the water supply organization and the housing inspection, which should check the validity of the disconnections and take measures to eliminate violations.

In the summer of 2025, the problem escalated again. After several accidents on the water pipeline "Kaitag – Derbent", part of the historical quarters was left without water for more than ten days. A resident of the old city Farida reported that her family had to collect water from a spring, where long queues formed, as water trucks did not come to their neighborhood. Another local resident noted that his family was forced to buy water to fill household containers.