Residents of Žemai Paneriai complain that they have nothing to drink or wash: tap water – brown

In 15 minutes Justina from Vilnius submitted a request to the editorial office, stating that the residents of Žemai Paneriai no longer knew how to solve the drinking water problem in their area. The Vilniaus Vandenys water supplier is alleged to have been contacted many times, but does not benefit from it.

Such water – constantly

“We have been living in the Vilnius Lower Paneriai district for more than three years. I certainly won’t thicken the colors by saying there hasn’t been a week where the water is clean and safe to use. It’s probably not even worth mentioning that every Sunday it turns completely yellow, and with night and darkness even brown. The explanation of the employees of “Vilniaus vandenai” by phone is only one: “well, maybe a lot of traffic, more water is used”. Or a car arrives with the staff, but nothing changes as a result.

Every time they see brown water, people no longer call because most of the area’s residents reconcile, lose hope, and don’t believe that will ever change. The water is constantly yellowish. The cold is still relatively yellowish in color, but warm, constantly. It is not a normal color. It is absolutely always yellowish. Brown. Or completely brown, ”the Žemai Paneriai resident complained.

Every Sunday the water turns completely yellow, and with night and darkness even brown.

The attached photos show in closed groups of social networks that the residents of Vaduva and Paneriškių streets constantly face a problem here.

They also complain that the water in the area is cut off more often and sometimes people are left with nothing, neither cold nor hot.

Accused of damaging property and health

“Such water damages the property of the house, the kettle is constantly full of plaque and changes color every day, it is really necessary to scrub the bathroom every day, because it just turns yellow and brown with the water. Washing clothes is unavoidable, and yet the water in the “bottle” will not connect to the washing machine, and white clothes will turn yellow and change color when washed with this water, regardless of the detergent you use. This is property damage. Everything: clothes, kitchen utensils, appliances, bathroom and toilet.

But the most important thing in this situation is that it is harmful to health. Is there any awareness of the damage to the body when using that water? I don’t mean your drink. We hardly ever drink or drink it, we take hundreds of gallons of water out of stores each month and use it for food and drink. But how to wash fruits, vegetables? I am also talking about the damage to health that occurs when bathing in that water. And the damage in this case can be confirmed by dermatologists. From such water, the skin becomes dry and allergic, not to mention brushing your teeth with such water, ”said the woman.

According to her, many families live in this area, as well as with babies and small children, everyone has to constantly put up with poor quality water. Residents are also outraged that Vilnius Waters does not provide a specific answer as to why the situation with the water is such and sometimes allegedly does not respond to the request at all.

Water providers are reassuring: no danger

Vilniaus Vandenys, in response to a complaint from a resident that has reached various media outlets, issued a press release on the situation in Lower Paneriai.

“Vilnius Žemieji Paneriai district is one of the last parts of the city, where ‘raw’ groundwater is supplied. It has a higher content of manganese and iron. These naturally occurring minerals are not dangerous to health, but their concentration Excessive affects the taste and appearance of the water. In fact, we understand that when manganese or iron levels rise, water with an unpleasant appearance or taste causes a negative reaction. As a result, we receive complaints from residents of Žemai Paneriai.

These substances are not dangerous to health, but their excessive concentration affects the taste and appearance of the water.

We can ensure responsibly that we always respond to complaints and issues raised by residents and take swift action: we dispatch specialists to assess the situation, take additional samples for water quality research, initiate unscheduled pipe washing jobs. The Vilniaus Vandenai customer who raised the issue also contacted our company. They responded by stating that the problem is known to the company, it is being solved through operational actions ”, says the report.

Washes pipes, but helps for a short time

According to representatives of the company, one of the effective but temporary solutions to this problem is to wash the pipes, and more precisely, the walls of the pipes from accumulated deposits.

“Pipe flushes are generally unscheduled, they take place every time residents receive complaints about water quality, as well as to monitor the situation, we also do scheduled pipe flushes periodically once a month. In November 2019, large-scale plumbing was done in this residential area using special equipment and partners from Austria. The washing then gave remarkably good long-term results.

However, due to the increase in accidents this summer caused by builders working in the area, their arbitrary water disconnections and perforated pipes, the quality of the water has clearly become deteriorated.

Please note that our residents are always informed of planned temporary water outages, both in person (if they have indicated they would like to receive such notifications) and on the official company website.

A major problem facing both the population and the company itself is the interruption of the water supply due to accidents, most of which (especially in this fast-growing area) have recently been caused by irresponsible activities or even malicious third parties. In any case, we have already taken steps to address this sensitive issue and we hope it will yield tangible results. “

Due to the increase in accidents caused by builders this summer, their arbitrary water disconnections and perforated pipes, the water quality has clearly deteriorated again.

The well field needs to be renovated

A long-term solution is expected after the renovation of the Žemai Paneriai well, works started this year, the company says. This is one of Vilnius Waters strategic projects.

“The well design is currently in process and the renovation will be fully completed by the end of next year. By modernizing the Žemieji Paneriai well field and building water treatment facilities, we will ensure a supply of impeccable quality water to more than 5 thousand residents of this area. The company is investing 2.4 million euros in this project and hopes to solve the problem in principle “, – says” Vilniaus vandenys “.

The company states that in recent years the largest investment flows have been directed to the renovation of water and sewerage networks and infrastructure. It is observed that, compared to 2017, Vilniaus Vandenai’s investments in the development of the infrastructure of the water supply and sewerage network have multiplied by more than three times. 2020-2022 It is planned to invest 108.7 million LTL in the development, renovation and digitization of infrastructure. euros. This is expected to solve many of the problems associated with the company’s depreciated infrastructure.