Authorities in the Tyumen region acknowledged a problem with tap water quality only two weeks after residents first complained. Governor Alexander Moor announced water deliveries to the city, setting up 21 mobile distribution points in Tyumen and seven in the Tyumen municipal district. For a city of nearly one million people, that proved insufficient.
Residents first reported a smell of algae, swamp and hydrogen sulfide on July 16. The local water utility attributed it to summer flooding, swamp water entering the Tura River and a critical drop in oxygen levels. Treatment facilities increased the dosage of powdered charcoal tenfold, and the company insisted the water was safe. Russia's consumer safety watchdog Rospotrebnadzor took daily samples and reported the water met safety standards. Only on July 23 did the agency first recommend using bottled water for drinking.
The smell of the water is not grounds for a recalculation of bills because it meets safety standards, the water utility said on July 22. Residents, meanwhile, said the water was unusable even for laundry, leaving clothes smelling of rotten algae.
When authorities began delivering water on July 30, queues formed at the tankers. People waited for hours in 30-degree heat. The water utility acknowledged the need to reorganize distribution and installed additional taps on the tankers so four people could fill containers at once instead of one. The city also opened 16 round-the-clock water points. Local residents report that bottled water in shops sells out instantly and queues at gas stations last two to three hours.
Residents have organized mutual aid: well owners offer water to neighbors free of charge, volunteer groups help the elderly and people with limited mobility, and a local hotel that does not depend on the city water supply lets residents shower for free. Vaccination against hepatitis A, which can be transmitted through contaminated water, has begun in the Tyumen region. The Investigative Committee opened a criminal case over the violation of water supply quality.
The deterioration was caused by flooding on the Tura River after heavy rains. Governor Moor called it a "unique natural phenomenon" and said water from the centralized supply system meets sanitary standards, though there are "deviations in organoleptic indicators." Two oxygen saturation units were installed at the Metelevsky water intake.
"We just stand in these queues, clutching empty plastic bottles, and wait. The worst thing is getting used to it. We're getting used to not being able to shower normally at home. Getting used to spending hours of our lives just to bring home water we can cook soup with. It feels like nobody is listening to us," said Yelena, a Tyumen resident.