‘It reeks, pardon me, of shit’: A Siberian city spent two weeks with sewage-smelling tap water while officials insisted that it was safe

Since early July, prolonged heavy rains have raised the water level of the Tura — the river on whose banks Tyumen stands — by 2.7 meters (nearly nine feet).

The water has flooded city streets and many garden cooperatives.

In mid-July, Tyumen residents discovered that their tap water had begun to smell of feces and chemicals.

They started posting videos on social media showing that the water was completely impossible to use for drinking, cooking, or washing.

Tyumen’s authorities and the local branch of Rosvodokanal insisted for a long time that the water was safe.

But on July 28, Governor Alexander Moor finally declared a state of emergency in the region over the flooding.

The independent journalists’ cooperative Bereg spoke with Tyumen residents about how they are surviving in these conditions.

Meduza is translating this text in full. ...