In recent years, fires have occurred in newly built buildings in the capital of Azerbaijan, most often caused by short circuits in communication lines. According to the Ministry of Emergency Situations (MES), in January-August 2024 alone, 8 fires were recorded in basements and cellars of multi-storey buildings due to problems with electrical wiring in Baku. In the same period last year, there were 11 incidents.
One of the latest incidents occurred in late August on Basti Bagirova Street in the Yasamal district, where an electrical panel caught fire in the basement of an 11-storey residential building.
The question arises: who is responsible for such events and what should residents do? “Inform” investigated these issues.
Accusing fingers are pointed in different directions. Construction companies are blamed for the poor quality of materials, and it is claimed that skimping on wiring is a common practice to make a profit. Housing cooperatives (HCOs) impose responsibility on residents and charge additional fees for repairs. Residents, on the other hand, feel cheated and left to their own devices. What makes the situation even more complicated is that the legislation in this area raises many questions. After the building is put into operation, responsibility for its condition must be transferred to the Joint Society of Apartment Owners, created by the residents themselves. But in practice everything happens completely differently. MTKs, as a rule, continue to monitor the situation and impose their rules on residents.
Causes of fires and technical problems.
Experts say that one of the main causes of short circuits is the use of low-quality cables in the construction of buildings. According to Nusrat Gasimov, a utility expert from the Union of Free Consumers, when laying communication lines, the power of the electrical equipment that will be used in apartments must be taken into account. However, in many cases this factor is not taken into account. Especially in the summer months, when residents actively use air conditioners, the load on power grids increases, which can lead to overloading of the lines and, as a result, to fires.
“If this type of load is not taken into account when laying communication lines, the insulating layer of the cables will burn out and, as a result of their contact, a short circuit will occur. This will lead to the outbreak of a larger fire,” said N. Gasimov.
Thus, inadequate design and poor quality of cables become the main risk factors.
MTK and legal aspects.
Housing cooperatives, which are responsible for the maintenance of houses, often try to shift the financial responsibility for fixing the problems onto the residents. To eliminate the consequences of the above-mentioned incident, a minimum of 1,000 manat will be needed to restore the damaged lines of each apartment. However, such a request is considered illegal. As lawyer Vamig Shukurov explained, upon completion of the construction of the building and its official acceptance by the state authorities, the activity of MTK must be stopped and the management of the house must be transferred to the Joint Society of Apartment Owners (MMMC). MMMC is created by the residents of the house and organizes fundraising for the maintenance of the building.
“Therefore, any malfunctions should be eliminated with already collected funds, and not at the expense of additional fees. Moreover, even if the house is not yet put into operation, the MTCs have no right to demand money from residents for the repair of communications. All necessary expenses are already borne by the residents of the MTC; regardless of the condition of the building, its maintenance should be carried out with funds already raised by the cooperative,” said V. Shukurov.
Need for state inspections
OJSC “Azerishiq” noted that MTK is responsible for the electrical management of buildings and must regularly check the lines and provide the service:
“If the cooperative cannot cope with this task, state institutions such as the “ASAN service” turn to “Azerishig” to carry out the necessary inspections and repairs.”
However, in practice, such measures are rarely taken, which leads to an increase in the number of accidents and attempts by MTCs to impose their liability on residents. This shows that there are gaps in the regulation of ECM activities, which require intervention by state authorities.
Thus, the situation with fires in apartment buildings in Baku shows that there are serious problems in the management of residential buildings, especially in terms of responsibility for the state of communication lines. MTCs often violate the law and demand additional funds from residents to eliminate malfunctions, while these costs are already included in monthly payments. The existing loopholes in the legislation regulating the activities of money transfer companies aggravate the situation.
To solve the problem, it may be necessary to strengthen control over the activities of MTCs by state authorities, ensure regular inspection of communication lines by qualified specialists, take measures to increase the responsibility of construction companies for the quality of materials used, and develop mechanisms for legal protection of residents against illegal demands of MTCs.
The situation requires urgent measures. This can be prevented by strengthening control over the construction and operation of multi-storey buildings, increasing the responsibility of all parties involved in this process and ensuring transparency of financial flows. Residents, in turn, can actively defend their rights and appeal to the government to resolve these problems.
These measures will prevent similar incidents in the future and protect citizens’ rights.
