The block of new cottages on Kaimyn Street in the capital is literally sinking. Residents of residential buildings in this block are facing big problems: water is damaging people's property, and a large area has now turned into a "lake" where swans and beavers have settled. Institutions shirk their responsibilities and claim that they are incapable of solving the problems.
The resident Rytis Bagdonas claims that the yards of the cottages and private houses on Kaimýn Street were already flooded last spring. Then people rushed to ask for help, but the authorities only repeated the same thing in unison - "we can't do anything until there is no damage to the residential houses."
"And when this year came, the damage was already done. There is a flooded park, that is, a green zone, the sewage system is disrupted, people cannot do basic things at home, in the household," R. Bagdonas told the tv3.lt news portal.
Institutions are being held accountable
After the damage was already clearly visible, the authorities continued to say that there was nothing they could do.
"After repeatedly contacting all these institutions: Vilnius City Municipality, "Grinda", the building inspectorate, the answer was already that they cannot help, because the water is from private lands, from the surrounding people.
However, we did such an individual investigation, raised drones, interviewed neighbors, we are not the only ones with this problem, and private plots are flooded," claimed the resident.
He added that the residents themselves found out that there are culverts through which water used to flow, now they are simply closed.
"There are such culverts, you can even see on the maps, through which that water used to flow.
But possibly one person, wanting to satisfy some personal needs, simply filled up that culvert and because of that we are drowning," R. Bagdonas commented to the news portal tv3.lt.
The resident claimed that the "green area" intended for residents had turned into a "lake" where swans, ducks, beavers and other residents had settled.
"Grinda" employees tried to organize meetings with the plot owner
"Beam"confirmed that he received several Kaimýn st. residents' reports regarding the flooded plot of land.
"The plot of land where water accumulates has melioration ditches installed, from which the water is led through a culvert to a pond located on another plot of land managed by the same physical entity. It is likely that the water accumulates on the site because the culvert may be blocked, but the company's employees were not given the opportunity to assess the condition of the culvert.
Employees of the company, in order to inspect the culvert, as early as 2023. October 6 and 2023 October 17 tried to organize meetings, but both times the plot owner did not arrive at the agreed time. When contacted again by phone, the owner assured that he is aware of the existing water accumulation problem, and received a verbal promise to solve the flooding problem in 2024. in the spring
Vilnius city municipality nothing can help
Vilnius city municipalities The representative of the communication department, Irmantas Kuzas, said that he could not help the residents of Kaimýn Street, and he had no suggestions on what to do.
"There are no melioration ditches or other structures belonging to the state on these plots, which are not managed by the municipality under ownership, trust or other rights. Therefore, the municipality cannot intervene in a dispute between private entities regarding the flooding of territories", answered the representative of the municipality.
Rasa Kėkštienė, the state representative of the Territorial Planning and Construction Inspectorate, confirmed that in February of this year, a complaint was received from a resident about the flooded land in Vilnius city, in the village of Gureliai.
"We inform you that in accordance with the finite list of functions specified in Article 7, Part 2 of the Law on Supervision of the Republic of Lithuania, the Construction Inspectorate, as an institution performing state supervision of construction, is not assigned the competence to examine issues related to the maintenance of reclamation facilities.
Construction inspection checks whether the construction works are carried out legally, whether a document authorizing the construction is required for the construction works, we do not examine other issues (determination of possible damage, compensation, etc.) not assigned to the competence of the Construction Inspectorate.
Clause 7 of Article 24 of the Law on Local Self-Government of the Republic of Lithuania stipulates that the management and use of state-owned melioration and hydrotechnical structures in trust is a state function (transferred by the state to municipalities) of municipalities, therefore we suggest that you contact the administration of the Vilnius City Municipality for answers to your questions. - is suggested in the answer, although the municipality assures that it cannot take any action.
Author: Agota Beresnevičiūtė, TV3.lt
