Residents Of Aqtobe’s Oldest District Live In Dirt And Darkness

The Saraishyk residential area was first developed in the 1990s, but proper roads have never been built, Orda.kz reports.

Today, the district’s streets are either completely unpaved or worn down to potholes and ruts. Residents are tired of asking the authorities to address the problem.

They covered one of the streets with crushed stone, but it’s waste from a chromium plant. It’s radioactive, and the stones are so large it’s hard to walk on. And when it rains or the snow melts, moving around becomes impossible. Why has our district, one of the first to be built, been neglected by the authorities for 30 years? They should give us a proper road, says local resident Adil Azhigaliyev.

In addition to the roads, residents are also concerned about the lack of street lighting.

There are streetlights only near five houses; beyond that, it’s pitch black. It’s hard for children to get home from school in the morning and evening. And there are also a lot of stray dogs. I wrote to the Akimat about this back in 2022, but they’ve only sent me formal replies, says Tolybay Zhamanov.

The Housing and Utilities Department says they are waiting for funding.

Under a 1.9 billion tenge project, 21 streets totaling about seven kilometers in Saraishyk are supposed to be repaired.

The design documentation was prepared back in 2024. However, due to a lack of funding, it hasn’t been implemented yet. According to a state expert review, the construction period is nine months, explained Arsen Murzalin, head of the Aqtobe City Housing and Utilities Department’s Highways Sector.

While the funding issue remains unresolved, residents are asking for at least gravel to be laid. In bad weather, the local roads are practically impassable.

Original Author: Elmira Yerzhanova