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Aliaksandr Lukashenka reminded the government of a heating main accident in Minsk that left some residential buildings without heating and said he would “put against the wall” Deputy Prime Minister Viktar Karankevich if a similar incident happens again.
Lukashenka demanded the modernisation of heating pipelines and power grids and recalled his earlier instruction to lower indoor temperatures in residential buildings to 18–20 degrees Celsius.
“Take care of the modernisation of heating and electrical networks so that the situation with a heating main break, as in Minsk, does not happen again and we do not have to deal with the consequences in freezing weather. After that heating main break in Minsk, I had a serious conversation. God forbid you heard the recording of it — you would be horrified. And that was with both the prime minister and Deputy Prime Minister Karankevich.
Remember when I said they increased the pressure to raise the temperature in apartments to 25 degrees. What are you doing? It was severe frost, minus 30. But if you have 18–20 degrees at that time, can you endure it? I can. No, they created enormous pressure. The pipes could not withstand it, everything burst. I told Karankevich, excuse me for repeating it: ‘One more such break and you will stand against the wall. Did you silence the media, or are there no more breaks?’” Lukashenka said.
Karankevich replied that there had been no further breaks.
“There are no breaks. None like that, I am sure. The Emergency Situations Ministry would have already reported to me. Do I really have to deal with this myself? Specialists understand this,” Lukashenka said during the government’s report on the economy on 17 February.
The heating main accident in Minsk occurred on 19 January. Heat supply was disrupted in the Frunzenski, Maskouski, Tsentralny, Savetski and Kastrychnitski districts. After that, Lukashenka ordered the temperature of the heat carrier to be lowered so that homes would be maintained at 20 degrees Celsius.