In the "smart" city of Aqqöl, a house located on low ground is being flooded. The cause is springs bubbling up from underground. An improvised drainage ditch freezes over, and local authorities are doing nothing, citing a lack of equipment.
According to the Telegram channel "Chinovnik", the "Smart Aqkol" project became known in early 2019, when it was grandly presented to former President Nursultan Nazarbayev. At the time, it was worked on by Kazakhtelecom, Eurasian Group, Tengri Lab and AREK.
The project's authors claimed everywhere that every house and apartment had been equipped with "smart sensors" and meters for water, electricity, and heat, and that all data supposedly went to the Unified Situational Centre.
"Furthermore, the situational centre not only collects information but also analyses it. And the integration of the Smart Aqkol system with other databases allows for in-depth analysis of data on city life, gaining new insights into the current situation and building an effective decision-making system for city authorities and services,", the project implementers reported.
As we can see, despite the fanfare and loud statements from representatives of the National Company, Kazakh oligarchs and domestic tech experts, the "smart" project could not protect Aqqöl from a simple flood.